


Secret Hero

by kiribaku_queen



Category: Haikyuu!!, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26578210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiribaku_queen/pseuds/kiribaku_queen
Summary: After becoming the number 2 hero, Bakugou accomplished everything he ever wanted. He beat Deku in a few matches, even if he wasn’t the number 1 hero. He got all the fame, beat countless villains, was acknowledged by all his friends and family. But he wasn’t satisfied. He wasn’t happy. Bakugou realized that this wasn’t the life he wanted. So he left the life of a hero and decided to hide to live the rest of his life as a normal person.
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Reader, Bakugou Katsuki/Yaoyorozu Momo, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader, Yaoyorozu Momo/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

Bakugou was living the dream. He had everything he wanted. Although he didn’t achieve in becoming the number 1 hero, he was still in a close second. And yes, being second was unacceptable for him but no matter how many times he tried to surpass his childhood friend, he was just too powerful. So he had to deal with being the number 2 hero whether he liked it or not. One thing he could brag about were the few times he was able to beat Deku in a few practice matches. Other than that, he was living the perfect life that he’s always dreamed of since he was a little boy. He had the perfect dream job that came with fame, good and bad. He was able to get his frustrations out by defeating countless villains over the years. And he was acknowledged by all his close friends and family. To everyone who said he couldn’t do it, he shoved it right back in their faces.

From the outside, it looked like there could be nothing wrong with his life. But there was something wrong. He wasn’t happy. Yeah, he achieved many accomplishments and overcame many feats but for some reason, he wasn’t satisfied enough. He thought it was because he wasn’t the number 1 hero. So he tried to patrolling more often and catching more villains than he usually would but that didn’t fill the void he was feeling inside. No, it was something else. The drive to become successful and to be better than Deku was no longer there. Bakugou’s never felt so empty before because beating Deku was the only thing he’s ever known since he was in middle school. Now that that desire is gone, he felt empty.

Fighting villains, saving citizens and becoming a heroic icon to the world was no longer something that kept him going. It didn’t give him a rush and it didn’t satisfy him. So, he made a decision to quit hero life. He didn’t tell anyone that he was quitting. He didn’t tell people where he was going or what he was doing. Pro-hero Ground Zero completely fell of the grid.

When Bakugou realized that the hero life wasn’t the life he wanted, he decided to hide and live the rest of his life as a normal person. Or as much as a normal person as he could. Maybe if he did that, then he would figure out what was missing in his life.

The former hero traveled far from the city. It was a lonely voyage. It gave him time to think about himself. What did he want? What did he want to become? What exactly was missing from his life? It was different. Not being able to use his quirk or see people needing saving. He didn’t really talk to anybody but when he did, he was able to collect wisdom from so many different people. The fire inside him no longer burned with rage. Instead, a small flame flickered that kept him level-headed and calm.

After traveling for quite some time after leaving the previous town, he entered the next town. A small town but looked like every other town he’s been in. Nothing stood out to him as anything special, at least not yet. The sun was setting so he needed to find a place to stay. While on the search for some type of motel, he was interrupted by the sound of a woman screaming. Bakugou’s hero instincts immediately kicked in and he ran towards the scream. On the way there, he pulls out his black mask to hide his identity. He didn’t have his hero outfit but the mask will have to do.

He approaches the alleyway where he heard a woman’s voice. He sees a man, obviously intoxicated, hovering over a woman who was twice as small as he was. Not a fair fight at all. Bakugou was hesitant at first. He abandoned the whole hero, what was he doing playing hero again? But as soon as he saw the woman trembling with fear, all previous thoughts were thrown out the window and his feet moved on his own.

“Oi, you bastard,” Bakugou ripped the man off the woman and shoved him against the cold brick wall. His hands tight around the collar of his shirt so that he couldn’t run away. “What do you think you’re doing?” he questioned, his voice going down an octave lower.

“Get your hands off me,” the man tried to pry his way out but Bakugou was clearly overpowering him.

“Wanna say that again?” Bakugou challenged the man, letting a few small explosions release from his hand. The drunk man acted all tough until he saw him use his quirk. It was only then did terror fill his eyes and let go immediately. Bakugou noticed his change in behavior so he let him go and the drunkard fled for his life.

“Tch,” Bakugou let out a snicker and what a coward he was. Then he turned his attention to the woman who fell to the floor in fear. “Are you okay?” he asked, crouching down to be at eye level with the lady. And when she looked up with tear-filled eyes, he saw you for the first time.

You were on your way home from a girls’ night out with your friends. It was really late out and your friends were practically begging you to stay the night. It wasn’t because they wanted you to stay longer, but rather that it was pretty dangerous at night. Especially at this time. But you reassured them that nothing ever happens to you and that you were going to be fine. Oh how you were wrong.

As soon as you stepped out onto the streets, a man started following you come, sending chills right down your spine. You tried running away to lose track of him and hide in a dark alleyway. But he spotted you and proceeded to get too close for comfort to you. He was twice your size. Even if you tried to defend yourself, he was much stronger than you. You were at a disadvantaged. So what do you do? You screamed. Yelled as loud as you could. Being that it was late out and no one ever walks around this late at night, chances of someone helping you were slim to none. But you gave it a shot anyway, hoping at least someone heard you.

In a flash, the man was teared off you and shoved next to you by a mysterious man in a mask. You were so shaken up that you completely fell to your knees and you sobbed quietly to yourself. Yeah, it was your fault for walking around town at this time of day knowing that it was dangerous. And maybe it was your fault for being so naïve to think that nothing was going to happen to you. But shit, you didn’t really think out of all people, you’d be someone’s target. The masked man asked if you were okay, kneeling down to get a better look at you. You looked up at him with glossed eyes. You were feeling so many things in the moment. Scared because some guy just clung on to you. Relieved that someone came to save you. But confused because the man who saved you was wearing a mask. What was he, some pro-hero or something?

“Do you need me to escort you back home?” he asked you, catching you off guard.

“I’m okay!” you waved your hands in front of you. In an attempt to prove that you were okay, you tried to stand up on your own but failed miserably. Your knees gave out on you and the moment you stood up, you fell right back down. But the masked man was quick to cushion your fall, catching you in his arms. You hands went straight to his biceps and you could feel your whole face heat up. Oh wow. Muscles. Yep. Those are definitely rock hard muscles.

“Are you sure? Offer still stands,” the man asked you again.

“I guess, if you don’t mind?”

“Lead the way.”

At first, the masked man assisted you in walking because of your shaky legs. You weren’t complaining because that gave you a chance to lean against him and his body was no joke. Shit, how did you get so lucky! But after a while, you could walk perfectly on your own and you two walked next to each other, side by side. And it was quiet. You glanced over at him and his attention was straight in front of him. He doesn’t look like the talkative type. And he still has his mask on. Maybe he’s shy? If that’s the case, then you should initiate.

“Sooo,” you started off, gaining his attention. “Are you going to continue to wear that mask?” you asked. He gives you a questioning look like he didn’t know what you were talking about. So you point to your eyes, showing him what was on his face. “You still have your mask on. Shouldn’t I know who saved me?”

“Aren’t heroes supposed to keep their identities a secret?” he questions you right back.

“H-Hero?” Odd. You thought it was a joke but he looks serious. Was he really thinking about becoming a hero? “I guess…” you shrugged off the interesting question, not knowing how to answer that.

Before you know it, you arrived at your apartment building safe and sound. You turn around to thank him.

“Thank you, _hero_ for saving me. I appreciate it a lot,” you expressed your gratitude. He hands you a dashing smile. Back in the alleyway, you couldn’t get a good look at his face because it was so dark. But now that you were in front of your building, the lights coming from inside the building lit up his face and you just realized how handsome he was. And that smile was everything. Your heart started to pick up its pace.

“No problem,” he says and turns to leave.

“Wait!” you call out for him. Instantly, you slap your hand across your mouth. You didn’t mean to say it out loud, but now that it’s out in the open and he has your full attention, you might as well ask. “Can I know your name?” He pauses and looks up.

“Ground Zero.” He said and went off on his way. Your shoulders deflated at his response. You were hoping for an actual name but you guess that will do for now.

“I hope I can see you again…. Ground Zero,” you whispered to yourself as you watched him walk away, the beating of your heart now prominent.

A few days have gone by and Bakugou was still in town. He didn’t realize how traveling across the country would be this tiring. And since he didn’t have a set destination, it couldn’t hurt to stay here for a little while longer. After running into you that night, he had many more encounters with dealing with bad guys. Not necessarily villains but criminals. One day there’s a robbery, the next there’s men harassing women. He was catching all these bad guys yet he never saw another hero. It was like there were no heroes in this town.

There was no point in dwelling on it. They lived in a hero society. Heroes are everywhere. He’s probably just hasn’t run into one yet. Getting out of bed and putting on some comfortable clothing, Bakugou made his way to the town’s local farmer’s market. He saw a sign for it the other day and decided, why not? Maybe by doing things out of his comfort zone would help him figure out what’s missing in his life. And he was hungry so in search for food, here he comes.

The farmer’s market was bigger than he expected. A variety of fruits and vegetables were being sold. As well as local stores and businesses were selling their items. Bakugou took his time looking at each booth, curious about everything around him. Did they have this back in the city? This experience was nothing like he’s seen before. It felt… homey.

He made his way over to the food section of the market. His moth watered at the sight of how luscious and vibrant the vegetables were. He had to try them out. But how? He twisted and he turned but he couldn’t figure out how to buy them. He had a lot to learn.

Every week Saturday morning was the same for you. As soon as you woke up, you got ready and went straight to the farmer’s market. This was the time where you do your weekly shopping and maybe pick up a few flowers on the way to brighten your apartment. You had to go to the vegetables first because the good ones are always picked so fast! But you were determined to get some good ones.

You grabbed a bag from the lady who ran the stand and started your picking. But as you were doing that, you noticed a guy acting confused. The closer you looked at him, the longer you stared. He wasn’t someone you’ve seen before. Was he a visitor? But this town never get visitors.

“Excuse me,” you called out to offer your assistance. “Did you need help?” The blonde man looks up at you and an arrow shoots straight at your chest. He’s hot!

“Ah, I just wanted to buy this but I don’t see any bags,” he trailed off at the end, still looking for them but now a bit embarrassed. Understanding the problem, you walked up to the lady who ran the stand.

“Auntie, I’m taking another one,” you say and take an extra plastic bag.

“Go ahead, dearie,” the older lady said with a smile. She was so cute. You handed over the bag to the stranger.

“Here, now you can pick whatever you want. Just bring the bag up to that lady over there when you’re done,” you explain.

“Thanks,” he said, gladly taking the bag from you. You smile at him and continue on with your shopping. Coincidentally, the vegetables you want were the same ones that he was getting or around where he was. So you said your greeting but you never really left each other’s side. Occasionally, you would glance at him. Not because he was handsome, well, that was one reason. But you were still curious as to why there’s a stranger in town.

“Are you new around here?” you asked, nonchalantly.

“Yeah, been here a few days,” he says. A few days, huh? What’s happened in town that’s happened recently. You know!

“Ah, so then you probably heard of the hero news that’s been going around. Everyone’s talking about it,” your eyes gleam up at mentioning the masked hero. Suddenly, Bakugou was now interested. He might look like he was too focused on picking which veggie he liked but all ears were on you. “It’s so crazy. We have a hero in this town.”

“What, don’t you have other heroes?” Maybe he was being talked about because he was a new hero in town. Not because he was the _only_ hero in town.

“Ah, it’s probably because you’re new here. This town doesn’t have heroes. Actually, no one in this town has a quirk. This town lives in a quirkless society. All normal people,” you explained, smiling at him. Bakugou was in shock. No heroes? Not a single person has a quirk? Is there a town even like that?

“So you don’t-”

“Mhm, I don’t have a quirk either. But you must have one right? You didn’t seem surprised about the hero news. You probably see heroes all the time,” the chatter box in you got the best of you. Bakugou could laugh at your statement. You definitely could say that again. He was going to tell you that he did have a quirk but then a thought stopped him. Maybe this was what was missing. A normal life. To live like a normal person. No fame. No fans. No villains. No more pressure.

“No, actually. I’m quirkless too,” he says, almost a little too confidently. You looked a little disappointed by the shrug of your shoulders.

“I see. Well I don’t really know anything about heroes anyway. The only hero I know is All Might!” you exclaim which causes Bakugou to snicker at you.

“All Might? Yeah, he was a great hero,” Bakugou gave you a soft smile and you swear you could melt. “But I hope you know that he retired over 10 years ago.” Your jaw dropped to the floor and now you felt embarrassed.

“Gah, I’m not up to date on heroes at all!” you complain. You wanted to shrivel up and die! You thought you were being relatable and a conversation was really flowing. But you brought up a topic that you were not knowledgeable at, at all and now embarrassment was the price to pay. Bakugou continues to laugh at you. When he took another look at you again, you were pouting and he thought it was cute. This town was really changing him now. He stuck his hand out and offered it to you.

“Katsuki,” he introduces himself. You felt the heat run to your face and you shook his hand rather shyly.

“(y/n).”

“(y/n),” he repeats your name. Now that was something you could get used to: the way your name rolled off his tongue. Pure butter. “I’ll see you around.” He picks up his bag and was headed out. But before he did that, he turned around to you and winked. You gasped and completely hid your face and your entire being behind the row of vegetables. Bakugou laughed at your reaction. Yeah, he could get used to this.


	2. Chapter 2

If only your parents could see you now: free and full of spirit. Unlike back at home where you have to act proper and sophisticated, you can act like yourself when you’re alone in your apartment.

It wasn’t easy getting away from your parents. They controlled every little part of your life, from what you ate, to the clothes you wore, to who you got to hang out with. And it was all to keep the family’s image intact. That was the typical life growing up in a rich family. But you hated it. You didn’t enjoy that life style. You wanted a taste of freedom and independence. So what did you do? Move away from your parents and your family to live outside the city and live your dream.

Your parents might have been controlling, but you didn’t hate them. They provided you with a good life with good resources, even if you had to act a little. Although your parents, your mom especially, was reluctant to have you leave the nest, they allowed you to leave with a few conditions. You had to be within 30 minutes from the city. That was pretty easy. Your parents had to pick your apartment for you. You guess that was the up side of having rich parents. The apartment they picked out was much nicer than you wanted. The apartment had a huge living room with lots of space for walking and decorating, a decent sized, marbled kitchen, one master bedroom and a spare bedroom for guests. You also had to come home once every week so that your parents know that you are alive. And that’s where you were now.

“Darling! It’s been forever!” your mother immediately greeted you as soon as you came through the door. She embraced you, almost in a crying fit.

“Mother, it’s only been a week. Why do you act like this every time?” you asked, already used to her behavior.

“Because I’m so worried about you. Is work okay? How about your apartment? Do you need to move back home? I heard more crimes are happening in town,” your mother kept rambling on and on about how worried she was. But this was nothing new. Every time you came home, it was the same old thing. And you had to always reassure her that you were doing fine. Actually more than fine.

“And how about your love life? Have you found somebody yet?” Ah, there is was. The forbidden question that you were dreading. But it wouldn’t be like her if she didn’t bring this topic up.

“No, mother. I’m not seeing anyone,” you sigh, not wanted to hear the rest of it.

“Honey, if you’re having boy problems, I know of one that is perfect for you. You should really consider it. You’re already at that age,” your mom persisted. Yeah, you were getting older now. All your friends were either in relationships, getting engaged or already married and have a family of their own. You? Still single. And you’ve always been single. You never liked it when your mother brought up this topic because it just reminded you of how undesirable you were. You’ve never had a boyfriend. Maybe a confession on the rare occasion, but it always led to one thing. But you hated thinking about it.

“Mom, let’s drop it already, yes?” you pleaded her with sad eyes.

“Alright, but I’m serious, (y/n). I don’t want you dying alone and old. If you don’t find someone within the next year, I will intervene. You hear me?” she asks in a stern tone, making herself loud and clear. Your mother was a weird one. One moment she’s soft and then the next she’s demanding. You didn’t want to feel pressure into finding someone but she gave you no choice.

“Yes, ma’am.” Your mood now down but you tried your best to hide it. “Now what’s for lunch?”

“You’re going to eat without me?” a female voice appeared out of nowhere. Before you could turn around, you were hugged from behind.

“Momo? When did you get here?” you asked your cousin. The beautiful, jet-black hair colored woman sat next to you, awaiting her lunch as well.

“At least 15 minutes earlier than you,” she replied. Momo Yaoyorozu. Your cousin. And the reason why you don’t have a boyfriend. The moment you think that someone likes you, as soon as they see her, all feelings are ditched. A guy magnet is what she is. But she can’t help it. She was born naturally gorgeous, smart and talented. Not that you were complaining. It was nice being single. But sometimes it made you want to be wanted. That’s why you stop having feelings for men because the end result is always the same. But for some reason, no matter how many guys throw themselves at her, she’s also stayed single.

“The party’s all here!” your mother cheered. Right behind you, more family members, adults and kids alike, were storming through the door with food in hand. “Time to eat!”

It’s already been a week since Bakugou started residing in this quirkless town and he’s got to admit, this was probably what he was looking for. It was peaceful. The people were friendly. No one suspects a thing. He might have made a name for himself as the newbie in town… and also with the hero stuff but he was going to keep that a secret. Whenever there was trouble, he couldn’t help but jump in. He did that for a living and he couldn’t give it up so easily. And he couldn’t ignore the fact that some people were getting hurt in the process.

Bakugou was on his way back to the farmers’ market as it was another Saturday morning. While reaching closer and closer to the market, he started to think back to you and something inside was starting to bubble. Was he really getting nervous? To see you again? He tried to brush off that feeling because what if you weren’t there. Then he would be feeling all that for nothing. Oh, but you were there. You arrived before him, talking to the old lady that ran the vegetable stand.

“Okay, play it cool,” Bakugou talked to himself. He did a few jumps in place, shaking off the nerves and casually walked towards you.

“Good morning,” he comes up behind you and whispers dangerously close to your ear. His actions made you jump and you spun around to see his face right in front of yours.

“Katsuki!” you exclaim, your heart beating out of your chest. At first from fright but now it was beating because of something else. “You’re still in town?” you asked.

“Why? Don’t want me around?” he teases, straightening his back to look down at you.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” you wave your hands in front of you. “We don’t get visitors often. Even if we do, they don’t stay more than a night. But you’ve been here for a whole week now…” your voice started to trail off at the end. Geez, you were rambling on and on about something so irrelevant. You must be looking like a crazy person now. But Bakugou just smiled at your antics.

“I think I’m going to stay for a while,” he informs you which makes your eyes sparkle in excitement.

“Is that right? Well you’ll have to find a place to stay. Maybe find a job. Meet some new people. Get to know the town a little better…” you started talking nonstop again. You knew this but why won’t your mouth shut up already? Embarrassed by your behavior because you’re usually not like this, you started backing up. Dumb you, you didn’t even notice your surroundings. The more you backed up, the closer you were getting to all the goods. And before long, you bumped into the stacks of vegetables behind you, causing you to fall backwards as well. Bakugou was quick to notice. As soon as you bumped into the goods, he already had his hand on your back to prevent you from falling.

“Are you okay?” he asked. You looked up at him as if the whole event was happening in slow motion. With his arm around your waist and with how close in proximity you were to him, you felt the heat rush to your cheeks and your whole face was burning up.

“I’m sorry!” you screamed a tad too loud and pushed him away. Bakugou, as well as you, were shocked by the sudden push. That made you even more embarrassed.

“Sorry! I mean, thank you for saving me. And sorry I pushed you, I don’t know what-”

“Don’t worry about it,” the blonde interrupted you. Thank god he did because you swear you could have went on for hours again because you were such a nervous wreck. You both stood there awkwardly, neither of you saying a word. You didn’t want to leave and it seemed like Bakugou didn’t want to either. He took a deep breath and decided to do something daring.

“Did you want to go out for coffee?” he asked. You were taken aback by his sudden question but in the end, you smiled.

“Yeah, yeah. I’d like that.”

It wasn’t like you to hang out with a complete stranger. It wasn’t like you to _talk_ to strangers in the first place. But you were glad you did it because now you were having coffee with the most handsome man you have ever seen. There were a fair share of attractive people in your town, but nothing compared to who sat right across from you. Your coffee date experience was nothing like how you imagined it. Back at the market, you were expecting it to be a little awkward with lots of pauses and you talking nonstop. But now that you were here, your conversation was going too smoothly. Laughs and smiles were being exchanged. Several conversations being shared, none being boring or too dry. It was comfortable. And you really liked it.

“I just found an apartment. Now to find a job. That’s the hard part,” Bakugou was telling you his plans.

“What job are you looking for?” you asked, quietly blowing on your coffee for you to sip. That put Bakugou in a train of thought. He honestly doesn’t know. He’s only ever wanted one job in his entire life and never thought about alternatives. Because he never had to. Right after high school, he got a job working as a hero in a big agency. His name got big as a hero but now he was here. What could he possibly do?

“I don’t know,” Bakugou replied, sighing. Finding a job that he liked and would be useful at would be a challenge.

“I can always help you,” you pitched the idea. If he didn’t know what he liked, then he might as well try everything. “We can start looking at the local places around here and then search online for some jobs!”

“That’s be helpful, thanks. But if I can’t find a job, then it’s no big deal. I’m only here for a little while. But I’ll might stick around longer if something happens,” he says. The only reason for him to get a job was to fit in with society and also to pass the time. He wasn’t going to sit at home and do nothing all day. And if he couldn’t get a job, no worries. He made bank as a hero anyways so it wasn’t like he was low on money. But if finding a job meant getting closer to you, he might just take it.

“Hmm, something huh? Wonder what that could be. Nothing happens here, anyway. I’ve been meaning to ask. Why stop in this small town? There’s nothing interesting enough to stay,” you ask, taking another sip of your hot coffee.

“I think you’re interesting,” Bakugou says, leaning on the table and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. But before you heard his reply, you didn’t blow on your coffee long enough. So when you took that sip, the temperature of the beverage burned your tongue, causing you to welp in pain and totally disregard his response.

“Ow! Sorry, what did you say?” you asked him to repeat his answer. Bakugou covered his mouth and started laughing.

“It was nothing important,” he waves it away. And like that, you two carry on the conversation for a few more hours in that coffee shop.

Within the next few days, Bakugou continuously searched for a job with the help of you. You tried retail stores, grocery stores and even positions at top companies. But Bakugou wasn’t feeling any of those options. And it wasn’t because he couldn’t do it. It was because he felt like he could do more to help. That’s when he found a help wanted poster for construction work. Didn’t seem too bad. The pay looked good. And he could put his muscles to use. He grabbed the flyer and took it with him, making sure to call the number on the flyer later. As he’s walking down the street, he’s looking at the poster in more detail. But then he feels something bump into his shoulder. Out of instinct, he reaches his hand out, and catches whoever he just ran into.

“Are you okay?” he asks at the woman in his arms. She had dark, black hair up in a ponytail. Very preppy clothes on, like she’s from a wealthy family. Bakugou helps her stand tall again as the woman dreamily stares at him.

“Y-Yeah. I’m okay.” She softly replies. He got a good look at her face now. And something about her reminds him of you. But he didn’t want to stare too long. He smiles, relieved that she’s okay and continues about his day. The woman, on the other hand, turns and watches him go. She continues to stare back at him until his figure it gone.

“He’s the one.” She whispers to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s been a few weeks since Bakugou settled in town. He got adjusted to his new apartment and even his new job as a construction worker. He had no need to use his quirk, but he could still get a good exercise in to warm up his muscles. The real action happens late at night in the streets. Even though he gave up hero work, he decided to keep an eye on the town. There may not be many crimes but when they do happen, he was there to prevent them. This town was peaceful and safe and he was going to keep it that way.

Bakugou started bumping into you around town more often. Of course, you guys would stop and chat. A little too long, some people might say. With the help of you, he got adjusted to a new environment. You showed him your favorite restaurants, the places to shop at, both expensive and ones that have the best deals. You showed him the arcades, the theatres, the parties, the to-go places that he has to go. These were the perfect times to just hang out with each other and get to know one another.

Day by day, the more you were with him, the more you started to fall for him. It was everything about him. His looks. His smile. His laugh. The intrigued look on his face when you show him something new. Or when he’s so concentrated on small, common tasks. It’s like he’s never done them before. And the way he’s so protective over everything. If you trip, even the slightest fall, he’s ready to catch you. That brings a blush straight to your cheeks. You’ve never been treated like this by a boy before so all this is new. But you liked it a lot. Also his body, but no one has to know about that.

It’s not news to your friends that you had a crush on the new guy in town. He was literally all you talked about. Who can blame you? A heart throb at its finest. Your friends urged you to ask him out on a few dates, but you were too shy to. And even if you tried, you chickened out every time. Sure, you guys were spending an absurd amount of time together, but who says that he likes you back?

“He’s totally flirting with you!” one of your friends exclaims.

“Yeah! It can’t hurt to try! And if he says no… well. That kind of sucks.” Your other friend just shrugged their shoulder.

“Oh my god, you are not helping!” you covered your face with a pillow. You thought that having a girls night and talking about your boy problems was going to help you, but this was not what you were expecting.

“What if you get into a relationship and he’s a slob?” another one of your friends gave a what-if scenario, making everyone else scream in laughter. And you’re just sitting there, listening to their nonsense.

“Even worse! What if he’s a serial killer and you’re his next victim!”

“Now you really make me _not_ want to be a relationship anymore,” you say, deflated. Having not been in a relationship before, the fears of what could unfold definitely were scaring. But those were all what-ifs. And pretty unlikely scenarios as well. But, there’s always that one small percent that you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. For all you know, he could be keeping a secret from you.

“Okay, okay girls. We all know the _real_ reason why you don’t want to ask him out,” one of your friends announces and turns to give you a look. The way you looked up at your friend was like a pouting puppy who did something wrong. All your friends turned to you. You could feel all their eyes, staring burning holes into your skin. You wanted to hide but they could hunt you down in an instant like a pack of wolves.

“I didn’t know this was an intervention,” you sigh.

“It’s your biggest insecurity since like, forever! You’ll know if he’s the one if he meets her,” they say but that just makes your heart drop. You didn’t want to think about what would happen, all the scenarios you could imagine if they did meet.

“You know what’s going to happen. Cause it always happens,” you sigh, dejected and feeling totally defeated already. Your friends felt bad for you. No matter what they did or say, they couldn’t change your mind on one thing.

“Well even if it does happen, then you’ll know he’s not the one for you. And you haven’t fallen too deep for him yet so you can just kick him on the side of the road!” you friend suggested, clapping her hands like it was such a genius idea. The rest of the group seemed to agree with her. You really didn’t want to do it, but you knew that he was going to meet her sooner or later.

“How do I even bring it up though?” you asked.

“You don’t even have to tell him! You know what, this is perfect. Invite him to lunch tomorrow to meet us. It’ll be a group thing so it’s subtle,” that also got everyone’s agreeance. Yeah, it wasn’t a bad idea at all. Maybe it was too soon?

Too late for that thought. You were already waiting for Bakugou to show up at your meeting spot. The girls texted you saying that Momo and them were already at the restaurant. Now only you and Bakugou had to show up.

“(y/n)!” you heard that familiar voice. You turned and saw Bakugou running up to you. When he caught up to you, he was breathing hard, trying to catch his breath. “Sorry I’m late. Did you wait long?” he asked and you just shook your head.

“Not long at all! Shall we go?” you ask and you lead the way.

“What made you want to introduce me to your friends?” Bakugou asked suddenly. It was so sudden that you were scrambling to find an excuse.

“Uhm, they just heard so much about you and they really wanted to meet you-”

“Oh, so you talk about me, huh?” he decided to tease you. And it really got to you because your face got so hot, anyone could see that someone was wrong.

“No, it’s not like that!” you tried denying. Your reactions get him every time. Bakugou bursts out laughing and he ruffles your hair.

“I’m just kidding. Should we go in now?” he asks. In no time, you guys were in front of the restaurant. Wow, time passed by so fast. Your heart was thumping in your heart. It was time to face the real challenge: introducing him to your cousin.

You both entered the restaurant and you were flooded with greetings and hugs. Each friend came up to you to hug you and introduce themselves to the handsome man you brought. Bakugou was a gentleman, but you never knew how much of a gentleman was. And he wasn’t as awkward as you thought he was going to be. As he introduces himself to each friend, he doesn’t shake their hand or go in for a hug like most people. Instead, he takes each friend’s hand and lands a chaste kiss on their hand. That made all the women go wild. He knew what he was doing. But by the time it go to Momo, you watched their interaction closely.

“I’m Momo,” she introduces herself, sticking out her hand for him to take. He takes it without a hesitation and places a soft kiss to the back of her hand.

“Bakugou,” he introduces himself, eye contact never breaking until they both sit down. Despite him doing the same thing to each person there, something about their interaction didn’t sit well with you. Your eyes glanced at your cousin, and there it was. She had the look in her eyes. _The_ look. She had her eyes on him. You lost.

Lunch was horrendous. After that whole introduction fiasco, you completely lost your appetite. Your mood was down. You honestly just wanted to go home. Momo wouldn’t take her eyes off of Bakugou. And from the corner of your eye, you could see him glancing back at her. But it was never for too long. You felt dejected but tried your best not to show it. The whole table was laughing and was having a good time. If you brought the mood down, you could cry of embarrassment. That was the one scenario you didn’t want to happen, so you fake it until you make it.

Momo and Bakugou look like they’re having a good time. Laughter was being exchange and she was definitely flirting. You couldn’t tell if he was flirting back or just being nice. You turned to the other side of the table where your friends were, but they were too busy in their own conversation to notice what you were witnessing. You looked to the floor, food barely touched. Is this the end? Will you ever find love at this point? Should you move? Rebel against your parents more? Your thoughts were interrupted by a small nudge. Looking to the side, Bakugou was looking at you, concerned.

“You okay?” he asks. Your heart aches. You’re fully convinced that he’s asking out of courtesy because you guys are friends and not because he likes you. You give him a weak smile and a nod, but nothing else. Bakugou frowns at your response but doesn’t press further.

“Ready to go?” your friend announces. Everyone seemed to finish their food and the bill was already paid for. You didn’t realize you spaced out that much. Your group headed out the restaurant, huddled outside and exchanged their goodbyes.

“Was it a no?” your friends asks you as she pulls you in for a goodbye hug. With deep regret, you nod your head and your friend juts out her lower lip. “I’m sorry.” You shake your head. What did she have to say sorry for? This was your problem. And you got your hope up too high.

“I’ll see you later?” you ask and she nods her head. You look at everyone else, briefly glancing at Bakugou and Momo’s direction.

“Bye guys!” you wave and continue on your way. You shove your hands deep in your pockets, still looking down at the ground. Time for deep thoughts and feeling bad about yourself. Something you got strangely good at.

“Wait,” someone stopped you, grabbing your elbow and turning you around. Bakugou? He didn’t look too happy. “Let me walk you home.” He offers. You frown and turn to the rest of the group. Momo was already walking away so you couldn’t see her face. Why was he here instead of over there?

“But-” you tried to refuse but he cut you off.

“Please.” He says firmly. With that, you could not not say no.

The way back to your apartment was filled with silence and not like the usual conversation driven atmosphere. You knew Bakugou wanted to say something but you were going to wait until he spoke up. You arrived at the foot of your apartment and he has yet to say anything. Awkward.

“Thanks for walking me home!” you turn to him with the brightest and fakest smile you could muster. Please fall for it, you think to yourself.

“What’s wrong?” he avoids your comment to ask.

“What do you mean?” you ask back, acting confused.

“You didn’t talk at all. You barely touched your food. You were fine earlier. Did something happen?” he asked, concern written all over his face.

“I…” you started. You couldn’t tell him the truth. “I just get into moods. Sorry you had to see that.” you say on the spot.

“Let’s fix that then.” He offers. But you had no idea what he was talking about. Before you could ask, Bakugou took your hand in his and led you up to your apartment. You spent the whole rest of the day letting him cheer you up. He distracted you by watching your favorite TV shows, baking brownies, talking. And soon, you guys were eating Chinese takeout and drinking wine. Usually, it takes a lot for you to get out of this mood. But with him, he made it so easy. You were smiling and acting like yourself in no time.

It was a fun time. Just drinking the night away and talking your asses off. Anything and everything. Time must have slipped past you because it was already so late out, but you were soooo tipsy, to say the least. Bakugou looked fine. Jealous. You didn’t like being a lightweight because a few glasses could make you pass out and the fun is over. You didn’t want the fun to be over. You wanted to be with him.

You guys were joking around, having yet another glass of wine, when Bakugou took your phone out of your hands to look through your camera roll.

“What do we have here?” he teased, seeing the selfies you took recently.

“Give it back!” you demanded. But Bakugou completely ignored you and kept scrolling through your hundreds of pictures.

“Bakugou Katsuki!” you whined, reaching for your phone. He was quick to extend his hand so that your phone was out of your reach. His arm was so long and yours was so short, it was impossible to retrieved your phone unless you reached across him. Being the drunk ass you were, you did just that. Your hand rested nicely on top of his chest as you reached over to grab your phone. But because you were so drunk, you slipped and fell deeper into his arms. He caught you, wrapped his muscular arms around your waist. Your faces were just inches apart, both of you staring into each other’s eyes. His eyes then look down towards the lower end of your face and back up to your eyes. You caught that. What does that mean? Does that mean what you think it means? Was he going to kiss you? Your mind was telling you to push him away because you didn’t want to assume. But god was your body telling you something different. Your eyes also started traveling lower, the hand that was on his chest tugged on his shirt. He was leaning in closer and closer. His arms that were around your waist got tighter and brought your body closer to his until it was completely flushed. He tilted his head, his breath just barely tickling your lips. His lips were so close, but he didn’t connect them just yet. He was teasing you. You could hear your heart beating in your ears. You felt like you were going crazy. Oh, how much you wanted to take control, grab his face and smash your lips together in a hungry kiss. But you stopped yourself. If Bakugou wanted to kiss you, he would do it. You weren’t going to ruin your first kiss just because of your lust for him.

Bakugou teased you to no end. The way your eyes were fluttering with lust and how your lips were parted just for him, waiting to be kissed by him was riling him up. He smirked. You had enough teasing for tonight. With a quick movement of his neck, he reached up steal a light, passionate kiss.

His lips were soft. His aroma filled your senses. Your head was filled with him. This. Was the perfect first kiss. It was sweet. It was passionate. It was emotional. It was everything you dreamed of and more. Your lips disconnected but Bakugou wasn’t done. And neither were you. You kissed again and again and again. Your hands reached the back of his neck while his stayed on your waist and lower back. Before things could get anymore heated, a blaring ringtone interrupted you guys. Your lips parted for the final time and you started coming back to your senses. It took you both to realize whose phone was ringing. It was Bakugou’s. You got off him to allow him to fetch his phone.

“Hello?” he answered the phone, but went right back to your previous position, one arm laced around your waist, holding you close to him. This caused your face to heat up immensely. You looked up at Bakugou, his face now frowning. You couldn’t tell what they were talking about but you had a feeling that this night was coming to an end.

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no it’s fine. I’ll be there soon,” he says and hangs up the phone. “It’s my boss. He wants me to fill in a night shift position.” he tells you. You pout a bit but nod your head. It was work. Can’t do anything about that. You both get up and you escort him to your front door. You were a bit disappointed that the atmosphere got ruined but that’s just how life is. When something really good happens, it’s always taken away. He opens the door but before he leaves, he turns to you and gives you apologetic eyes.

“Sorry, I’ll see you later?” he asks. You give him a weak smile and nod. Bakugou could sense your disappointment. And he was going to make it up to you. He grabs you by the waist, pulling you in and catching you off guard. Your hand, again, rests of his chest. He leans in and right when you think he’s about to kiss you again, he smirks. Instead, he leans in close enough until your forehead and noses are touching. Then, he lets go and is on his way. You were left feeling flustered. Slowly, you close to the door. As soon as you heard the door click shut, you screamed into your hands.

“Holy shit, was that real?” you asked yourself. You pinched your cheeks. Yep, that hurt. That all felt like a dream. Where you hallucinating? Did you imagine everything because of how much you drank that night? It all happened so fast and so sudden. It felt surreal. Oh god. What were you two now? What did that kiss mean?

Emotion after emotion, question after question! You were feeling and thinking about so many things at once. You needed to calm down and just ask him in the morning.

Because Bakugou took on another shift, he slept the whole morning, well into the afternoon. But then you got busy so you couldn’t see him for a few days. That gave you plenty of time to think about what happened and plan out what you were going to say to him. You even discussed it with your girls. Man, when you told them what exactly happened, they were screaming and cheering for you. They were so ecstatic that not only did you get your first kiss but it was steamy session!

“He’s totally into you.”

“If you don’t date soon, I’m gonna be so mad.”

“Give me more details!”

Your friends were bombarding you with so many things, you couldn’t keep up! There’s no doubt in your mind now that he has feelings for you. Why else would he kiss you, especially like that? It made your heart race every time you thought about it. Was he going to be your first boyfriend? Finally? And then your mom can back off with the threat of sudden engagements.

It took a while, but both you and Bakugou made time to meet up. You were waiting anxiously for him. You’ve never been in this situation before so you didn’t know how to act. Should you act all flirty and cuddly because you guys kissed? Or should you act normal, like nothing happened? But what if he gets the wrong idea? You were too into your thoughts to see that Bakugou had already arrived. You only noticed when he laid a hand on top of your head.

“Welcome back,” he says as you snap of your daydream. Embarrassing. You both walked into the small coffee shop. The same one you both went to the second time you met each other. You waited at the table while Bakugou brought the coffees.

Gosh, you were so nervous. Do you talk about other things before brining it up? But you were so desperate to know. Fuck it.

“So, about the other night,” you started and that got Bakugou’s attention right away. He rubbed the back of his neck with a shy smile.

“Yeah, about that. I’m sorry,” he apologized. Huh, sorry? “That whole thing was an accident. We were both drunk and it was all in the moment. I’m never usually like that. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.” You heard your heart break. But you had to let him know that it didn’t make you uncomfortable! Maybe then, he’ll change his mind.

“What if I told you if I liked it?” you looked at him with pleading eyes.

“I’m actually not looking for a relationship right now,” he said. In truth, he wasn’t. He thought you were petty and interesting and he’s never had so much fun being with someone before. But the thought of being in a relationship… it scared him. Plus, he’s never been in a relationship before. “But I hope we can keep being good friends like before.” Rejected. You were devasted. You felt embarrassed that you had your hopes high. You didn’t want to believe that your dreams were going to be shattered like always. You thought he was going to be different. He just played you.

“Yeah,” you say weakly. It barely came out. Before you realized, your eyes were brimming with tears and threatening to spill. Who cares if he sees, you couldn’t hold them in any longer. You just had to get out of there. “I forgot I had plans. I have to go.” You say and get up. And then there they go. A tear slipped out. That didn’t slip past Bakugou because he was studying your face the moment he sat down.

“(y/n),” he stood up, panicking. He tried to reach out to you but you stopped him.

“Don’t. I’ll see you later,” you say and dismissed yourself without giving him another glance. Bakugou was left in the coffee shop, feeling like the biggest jerk.

You cried for days. You’ve been rejected before but for some reason, this rejection hurt the most. Your girls comforted you, of course. But there was nothing much they could do. You had to get over him yourself. It hurt. A lot. But you wanted to respect his decision so bad. If he wasn’t ready for a relationship then he wasn’t ready. But you also didn’t want to feel like you were being played. If he wasn’t ready then why did he kiss you?

It’s been weeks since you’ve seen him. You couldn’t bring yourself to see him. Just the mere thought of seeing him and then being reminded of your rejection just hurt so much. He tried reaching out to you a few times, but when he noticed that you weren’t responding to him, he stopped. That hurt you too. What did you expect though? You weren’t over him and you couldn’t fake it. So you ignored him. But you were disappointed that he didn’t continue to reach out despite you ignoring him. It happens in the movies all the time. A girl can only dream.

You’re friends urged you to get some fresh air and get out of the house. They swore it was going to make you feel better than being coped up in the apartment. So you did. Shopping always cheered you up. See something you liked or wanted, boom. Bought. If it cheers you up in the moment, then why not? You were walking out of a small boutique store when you saw Bakugou on the side of the road. He was on the other side of the street, waiting in front of a nice, black car. Shit, what was he doing here? Your walk slowed down and turned into a halt. A woman walked out of the store that was behind him. He turned around and the woman linked arms with him. Then he opened the car door for her and they both got in. You recognized that hair. That face. That style.

Bakugou was with Momo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it begins. Let me know your thoughts!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tigger warning: body shaming, negative body image

You watched as Bakugou opened the car door to let Momo in. As soon as they both entered the car, the driver sped off. You turned your back so that just in case, they couldn’t see you. Was it a little out of the blue? Yes. But did were you really surprised? No. You clicked your tongue. It was bound to happen anyway. After that time at lunch, you knew it was bound to happen. Maybe that’s why he rejected you. Because now he has eyes on Momo. Maybe if you got him first, then he wouldn’t be attracted to her. But it would have hurt a lot more if Bakugou left you for Momo.

You shook your head, getting all those negative thoughts out. No, it wasn’t confirmed yet. You shouldn’t make all these assumptions. You were going to ask her yourself. Maybe he was just accompanying her shopping? But that literally doesn’t make any sense to you.

“Don’t assume,” you whisper to yourself. But something was weighing heavy in your heart and you knew it was going to be hard to get rid of.

You made your way back to your apartment, shoulders and head drooping. So much for spoiling yourself and having a great day. Your eyes were on the ground below you. You weren’t pay much attention to where you were walking or who was in front of you. People can move out of the way for you. Or so that’s what you thought. Your heads was so in the clouds that it took you a moment to realize that someone had nudged you, almost knocking you down but you caught yourself. Anger and annoyance waved over you.

“Hey!” you called out to the stranger that bumped into you. He turned around, giving you the most expressionless look. Like he couldn’t care less that he just ran into someone without saying sorry. You gave him a quick up and down. You’ve never seen him around before. Another newcomer? That doesn’t matter. You frowned at his very stoic face. He looked like he was on a run. You could only assume from the white and purple track suit he was wearing. His olive brown hair was sticking to his forehead due to the amount of sweat he was producing. Now that you were observing his face, he was actually pretty handsome. Tall. Very tall. Taller than you were expecting that it was kind of intimidating. But you weren’t one to back down just because they scared you a bit. “You just ran into someone and you’re not going to say sorry?” you stood your ground, putting your hands on your hips. He doesn’t respond. That made you puff out your cheek. “Hello? Aren’t you going to say something? At least acknowledge that what you did was wrong. I mean, I also wasn’t looking where I was going, but you could have at least seen me and moved out of the way. Like this sidewalk is so wide! How could you have possibly run into me?!” you started to rant. The olive brown haired man took out his earbud that was hiding behind his hair.

“Sorry, did you say something?” his deep, husky voice asked. Your jaw dropped. You mean… you were ranting and yelling at him only for him to not even hear you?! Your face flushed red with anger. That audacity! You were so upset that you couldn’t say another word to him. With a puff, you turned around and stormed in the other direction.

“God, the nerve of some people!” you said to yourself, but definitely loud enough for _him_ to hear. Because that was 100% directed towards him. The man smirked and put his earbud back in to continue his exercise. Little did you know, nothing was playing through his earbuds. He heard you the entire time.

The weekend rolled by, which means another visit to your parents. And that also means lunch with the entire family. Which also means that Momo was going to be there. You were mentally preparing yourself outside the house. You were going to finally ask her about it. The idea of her and Bakugou together was eating you out alive. You wanted clarity but you knew that if it was true that they were seeing each other or even talking to each other, that was absolutely crush you. Taking a deep breath, you entered your parents’ house.

“(y/n), my darling!” you immediately heard your mother scream. In due time, she was embracing you in a hug before you could even close the door.

“Mother! How many times do I have to tell you? I saw you last weekend,” you told her.

“But I still miss my only child! It’s so lonely without you here. Why don’t you move back in?” she urged you.

“Mother, I like being away from the city! And I love my job. I just can’t abandon the kids,” you tell her. But your mother pouted. “Is lunch ready?” you ask, trying to change the subject before she could go on and on about you not being at home.

“We are still prepping! Why don’t you help us?” your mother suggested. You obliged, since there was nothing to do at the moment. Both of you made your way to the large kitchen. Sitting around the island were some of your aunts already making food.

“Ah, (y/n)! You made it! Come help!” one of your aunts exclaimed, handing you some wrappers so you can help wrap eggrolls. You sat down in one of the chairs and started helping. It was tradition for the younger adults to help with the cooking. You never wanted to but you and your other cousins were always forced to help. According to the elders, once they were gone, the younger ones have to continue the tradition. As time passed, you actually enjoyed helping them cook. This gave you the opportunity to learn the family recipes and perfecting the techniques so you can do it at home.

Although there were some downsides to helping. Since you were the only younger adult there, you didn’t have anyone to talk to. Of course, your aunts would ask you questions about your life but then the conversation would steer towards their lives. So you would just listen in on the drama or whatever they want to talk about. But then there are times when they would criticize you and your life. And that’s what was happening now.

“(y/n), have you thought about dieting? You seem to have put on some weight,” your aunt directs the conversation at you and hits you right where it hurts. You momentarily freeze your actions.

“Actually, I’ve lost a few pounds since you last saw me, Auntie,” you say, not tearing your gaze away from the food in your hands.

“Really? Your cheeks are so chubby still. You know, Momo has been on this new diet and she’s never looked better! She looks thin while still having her curves. And her skin is amazing!” your aunt bragged about your cousin. Ah, there is it. Again, comparing you to Momo. It wouldn’t be a family reunion without this comparison talk.

“I’ll have to give you Momo’s skin care routine. You look like you’re breaking out a bit,” she continues, observing your face. You thought your face was fine. It was clear and smooth. That’s a blessing in itself. Maybe your lips were a little dry, but that was it.

“Oh, honey. Don’t put too much filling in! Fold it like this. Momo can do this so beautifully. When she gets her, I’ll have her teach you.” Momo this, Momo that. When was it ever going to stop?

“Speaking of Momo,” you said a little loud, getting tired of this conversation. “Where is she?” you asked, trying not to show the annoyance in your face.

“She should be here soon. She’s bringing a boy over!” your aunt said with pure excitement. That made your stomach drop. As soon as you heard that statement, your heart raced and your palms started to sweat. You hope to god that it was not the person you were thinking. But with your luck, it was going to prove to be false.

“He better be a catch,” you heard your other aunt say.

“He better. I was already planning on having her meet this over handsome gentleman,” your aunt said, now gossiping.

“I’m here!” you heard that familiar, preppy voice coming from the front door. Speak of the devil. You heard your relatives greeting her and her company. You didn’t want to turn around. You couldn’t. Facing reality means that you lost to her.

“Momo!” your aunt left the island to go greet her daughter. “I heard you brought a boy, where is he?” she questioned, looking around.

“My _boyfriend_ is still being bombarded by father,” Momo explained, emphasizing the word _boyfriend_. You didn’t know if that was a stab at you or what, but at that point you knew. You could never compete against her. She won. She could have had anything she wanted from you. You just didn’t want it to be him.

“Bring him over! I want to meet him!” yeah, you don’t though.

“Father! Stop harassing him!” you heard Momo shout at her father in a joking matter.

“I’m just welcoming him to the family!” Momo’s father defended himself. Momo shook her head and grabbed the guy she brought by the arm.

“Mother,” Momo started. Shit, don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look. “This is Bakugou.” At hearing his name, you looked up. And sure enough, Bakugou was standing there, handsome as ever. He was shaking hands with Momo’s mom while she is basking over him. He’s smiling at her shyly and when he looks up, he locks eyes with you. But not for long because you cut it short and continue folding the filling into the wrappers.

“(y/n) darling, do you have a man in your life?” your mother asks you, turning her attention away from Momo and Bakugou.

“No, mother,” you said dejectedly. No matter how many times she asks, the answer is always going to be the same. Well, it probably would have changed if Momo didn’t get in the way. Who knows, Bakugou could have been yours by now but life never goes your way.

“Do you remember that boy I talked about last time? Well I came into contact with him and he says he wants to meet you,” your mom leaned in closer, almost in a whisper. It’s like she didn’t want anyone else to hear. But knowing that you didn’t want to marry yet and she still talked to him?

“Mom,” you complained, frowning at her. “I told you that I didn’t to.”

“I was setting it up just in case!” she tried to defend herself, but that was getting her nowhere because you were even more annoyed than when you got there.

“An arranged marriage? Really? That’s a little bit too cliché for this time period, don’t you think?”

“Cliché as it seems but see it as climbing up in life. You’ll never get a better offer,” your mother looks sternly at you. You roll your eyes. You didn’t like the idea but it got you thinking.

“Momo, come help (y/n) fold these. You do a must nicer job,” your aunt brings Momo over to the island to help with prepping the food.

“(y/n),” Momo greeted you, already sensing the tension in the air.

“Hi Momo,” you greeted back. Silence.

It’s never usually like this. Usually, family lunch is where laughter and talk is happening all over. Especially between you two since you grew up together and were so close. And arguments never happened to you, only when you guys were children. But right now, it was quiet besides the gossiping from the adults. Bakugou played with the little cousins behind you guys while his _girlfriend_ was occupied with a job.

“So (y/n), what do you think of Momo’s new boyfriend?” one of your aunts suddenly asked. You almost choked on your spit because you were not expecting that question at all.

“He’s nice,” you quickly say. What could you say? Oh, you have a fat crush on him and thought you were going to date because you had a make out session the night before he rejected you? Not likely. In your head, you were begging for someone to change the subject. Better yet, you wished lunch would be served soon so you can get the heck out of there.

“Honey, I keep telling ya. If you lost a few pounds, I’m sure you will be just as desirable,” there she goes again.

“Mother!” Momo scolded her, clearly upset that she was commenting on your body. Your relationship with Momo was definitely a weird one. Many times, it feels as though you were both competing against each other. But on many occasions, she would be sticking up for you and boost your confidence. It’s just unfortunate that you both like the same person.

“What? I was just trying to give her advice!” again, your aunt was trying to defend herself.

“Anyway,” Momo changed the subject so your surprise. She turns to you, giving you her full attention. “How’s the new job? You never caught me up on that.”

“Oh I love it. I mean, it’s kind of exhausting because I’m with kids all day but so rewarding,” you tell her. For a moment, you forgot why you were so upset with her. Talking with her just felt like normal, like you could tell her anything.

“Momo, darling. Go on and tell us about your new position,” your aunt butted in to brag about her daughter. Momo became shy and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well, my company just got a new boss so I got promoted to his secretary,” she beamed and all the ladies in the kitchen were cheering and congratulating her. You didn’t get that kind of response.

“You should have studied in business, (y/n). Look how successful Momo is now. I mean, teaching is fine and everything but it’s kind of boring and useless. Looks bad on the family,” your aunt whispered that last part to your other aunt. But you heard it.

“Okay, lunch! Is served!” the men of the family walked in with trays full of food that you women prepared. You sighed in relief. That got every single person distracted. Now you didn’t have to hear the negative comments being thrown at you. You, too, walk towards the food and as soon as you were about to pick up a freshly fried eggroll, you paused. You thought back to what they said about you earlier. You gained weight. You’d look better if you lost weight. You’d find a man if you lost weight.

You backed away from the food and headed towards the bathroom. After locking the door behind you, you got a good look at yourself in the mirror. They were right. The way you saw yourself in the mirror shifted into a person who was full of flaws. Your cheeks were chubby which resulted in a double chin showing even if you were looking straight ahead. You wore a sleeveless shirt that day so you lifted your arms to the side. The fat on your arm was dangling and it made your arms look bigger than they actually were. You don’t even want to start on your stomach. You sucked in your tummy but that didn’t do anything. You could still see the little pooch sticking out. No matter how hard you sucked in, it wasn’t going away. Then you pushed your stomach in and looked at yourself from the side.

I should lose weight, you thought to yourself. You would look much better. And your hips. They were so wide. You didn’t look good from the front view. You never noticed how much flaws you had on your body. It was so frustrating that you want to cry. But you would do that as soon as you left. Their comments never hit you so hard before, but now this was too much. The realization hit you that you can’t get a boyfriend looking like this. Maybe taking up on your mom’s offer wasn’t such a bad idea after all. You sigh and open the door to leave the bathroom. When you step out, you happen to almost run into somebody. You looked up to see Bakugou looking down at you, with what? Concerned eyes? No, you were probably just seeing things. You gave him a weak smile, moved to the side and walked passed him without saying another word.

While the older women in the house were ridiculing you and putting you down over Momo, Bakugou was behind you guys, overhearing the whole thing. It may look like he was playing with your younger cousins but his whole attention was on the conversation going on behind him. Every insult they threw at you made him more upset.

Fat? Where? You looked fit and healthy. Perfectly normal from his eyes and honestly, you looked better than good.

Undesirable? When he came into town, you were the only person that caught his attention and the only girl that occupied his mind for weeks. If you wanted you, you could have any guy you wanted.

Unsuccessful? Just because you weren’t making as much money doesn’t mean that you are not successful. You looked happy at your job. Every time you talked about your job or the kids, you were beaming with pride and joy.

Everything they were saying was false. And he was itching to say something and retort back but he had to bite his tongue. He couldn’t make a scene, especially not with Momo present. When he saw you leave the bathroom with the most hurt expression on your face, he wanted to say something so bad. But you ignored him and walked passed him like he was some stranger. Only then did something tug on his heartstrings.

Your mother was talking to your relatives but you needed to talk to her privately. So you waited until she went up to get more food to approach her.

“Oh, (y/n) love. Grab some more food, it’s absolutely delicious!” your mother was ogling the food, her mouth watering.

“Yeah, I’ll grab some later. Uhm, mom? Can we talk?”

“About what sweetie?” your mother answered while still looking at the food in front of her. You bit your lip, now second guessing your decision. But what did you have to lose?

“About what you said earlier… I’ll do it. I’ll take you up on your offer.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we welcome our second male lead! Will he seduce you enough to forget about Bakugou? hmmmm

After lunch with your family, it was clear that you were not feeling the best. All those comments about your weight and your career and everything you were doing wrong was going to your head. You cut breakfast out of your daily routine, as well as lunch. Even if you did eat lunch, you ate very minimal. Dinner was a different story. You were eating a normal portion but never to the point where you were stuffed. Your days were very fatigued and you could feel yourself losing energy to perform simple tasks. But if that’s what you had to do to get skinny, then you would do it. Beauty is pain, as one would say.

But your mother couldn’t get the hint. Since you took up on her offer to meet the boy she wants you to meet oh so badly, she’s been bugging you nonstop to meet him and his mother for a nice lunch. And so here you were, standing in front of the restaurant your mother picked.

“Be on your best behavior, dear,” your mother warned. You knew she wanted this meeting to go well, but now you were starting to take back your words. You were nervous for sure. You had no idea who this guy was. You didn’t know what he looked like, what he did for a living, his hobbies, nothing. Your mom left it to be a surprise till the very end and the anticipation was killing you.

“I know, mother,” you say. Well, time to put your mask on. All you had to do was meet this guy for your mother’s sake and hope that after this, she will leave you alone. Or not. But you would worry about that later.

You enter the beautifully aesthetic restaurant. Colors of gold and white covered the walls and ceiling, a chandelier hung in the middle of the room. Each table was organized neatly with the correct silverware, napkin and plates. Bouquets of fresh flowers sat at each table which set the atmosphere nicely. The waitress took you two to a private area where you were to meet this boy. As you walked to your destination, you looked around the restaurant. Neat, organized, everything looked exactly the same. Someone who was not raised in this environment might think coming here was a treat and would be lucky to dine here. But no matter how beautiful everything might look, you felt it was suffocating. Like you always had to act a certain way because you lived in luxury. But that wasn’t you.

You and your mother arrived at the private room, your guests waiting patiently for you. As soon as you guys opened the door, the man and his mother stood up to greet you two. Your mother and the other woman happily greeted each other, giving each other a hug and a kiss on each cheek. The man you were meeting bowed to show his respect and softly introduced himself.

“Ushijima Wakatoshi,” you heard him say.

“Yes, and this is my daughter, (y/n),” your mother introduced you. But when she saw you still standing by the door, she clicked her tongue in disapproval, snapping you out of your daze. “Honey, come introduce yourself.” You bowed back at both of them and finally looked up to introduce yourself.

“(y/n), pleasure to meet you,” you say in your most fake voice. It took you years to perfect it and people believed it every time. You looked at the other mother and she came to embrace you in a hug.

“You are more gorgeous in real life than in your pictures,” she complimented you. Yikes, they’ve seen pictures of you? You bet that they just really want you two to be together, that’s why she’s complimenting you so graciously. Your gaze moves from the woman to the man you were supposed to meet. And boy oh boy were you in for a surprise. You tried not to show it, but your eyes widened slightly when you saw who you were meeting.

Tall. Stoic face. Olive brown hair. He was the guy who ran into you the other day! And didn’t apologize! Your mom wanted you to meet this guy? This was going to be an awkward lunch.

“Nice to meet you,” you say to Ushijima, despite starting to have petty feelings for him.

“Likewise,” he says back with his deep ass voice.

“Let’s order, shall we?” your mother clapped her hands, clearly very excited for this encounter to finally happen. Every is in agreeance and takes a seat at the table. But before you could sit down, Ushijima comes over to your side to pull out your chair for you. That made both women very excited.

“My, what a gentleman!” your mother in absolutely in love right now. You accept his offer with an awkward smile and sit down, Ushijima scooting your seat in at the same time. He goes back around to sit back in his seat, but is keeping eye contact with you the entire time. It makes you start having cold sweat. Does he recognize you? Does he remember how you acted and practically embarrassed yourself that day? You pray that that wasn’t the case.

“Tell us, Ushijima. How is your work life?” your mother started the conversation. If you knew any better, she was basically interviewing him.

“I just got promoted at my father’s company. So I am head of the new office in town that I believe (y/n) resides in,” Ushijima informs. Upon hearing your name, you look up at him only to find him already looking at you. That got you embarrassed and so you immediately looked back down.

“Ah, is it that new office that Momo works at?” your mother was starting to connect the dots.

“Momo Yaoyorozu? She is actually my secretary.” Oh perfect. He’s already come into contact with the gorgeous Momo. There’s no way he was falling for you now. You might as well stop trying because you already lost, again.

“I’d actually like to know what Miss (y/n) does for a living,” Ushijima turns his attention to you, waiting for your answer. You looked surprised, not expecting for him to take any interest in you.

“Oh, uhm. I’m a teacher,” you quietly say, a bit embarrassed that you had to say what your profession was. You were already put down by your family for that. You didn’t need to hear it again, especially from strangers that you just met and who don’t even know you.

“So you like kids?” he asks.

“Yeah, I do. I love being around them,” you started to get excited. You loved talking about your kids and how proud they made you. But you physically had to stop yourself. He probably wasn’t interested in hearing your stories anyway.

“I think that’s very admirable,” Ushijima compliments you, giving you an encouraging smile. And that threw you off guard. It actually made you more nervous. “Tell me more.” He insisted. You looked and your mother and then at Ushijima’s mother. They were both looking at you as if to say that they were interesting in hearing more from you.

So you gave a few stories about the kids in your classroom. How sometimes they can make your stomach hurt from laughter or how proud you were every time they learned something new. With each story, your eyes lightened up and Ushijima was silently listening to every word that you were saying. You were surprised that he didn’t interrupt one bit because you were just so excited to talk about something you were just so passionate in.

“You two fit so well. I think this is going to be a beautiful marriage,” Ushijima’s mother clapped her hands in satisfaction. Your mouth dropped and your eyes immediately went to your mother, who was actively avoiding you.

“Mother,” you harshly whispered her name. You simply just wanted to meet him, not get engaged with him. And she knew that, yet she just pulled you right into her trap.

“Why don’t you two take a walk in the garden. Get some alone time,” your mother was avoiding the situation. She looked pleadingly at Ushijima who got the hint. He stood up and made his way to you, sticking out his hand for you to take. You groan internally, taking a mental note to confront your mother later. You take his hand as he escorts you out into the garden. The mothers watch as their children walk away.

“They’ll be fine,” they reassured themselves, taking a sip of tea and starting their own conversations.

Ushijima takes you around the small garden they had in the back of the restaurant. Of course they had something like this. Flowers and plants engulfed you at every which angle. The beauty in front of you doesn’t distract you from what his mother just announced. An engagement?

“I’m so sorry. They must have forced you into this too,” you assumed, apologizing for this situation. But why were you even apologizing. You didn’t have anything to do with this. Just like him, you were also the victim.

“Just a little bit,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. “But, I’m willing to try if you are.” You stop in your tracks to snap your head to see if he was joking. It was hard to tell by the poker face he was wearing.

“You actually want to do this?” you question his mentality.

“Why not? We both can’t find someone, so why not do the alternative?” he shrugs it off like it was nothing. But you still couldn’t wrap your head around in.

“How do you know I can’t find someone?” you challenge him, feeling a bit insulted. You mean… it’s true but he didn’t have to call you out like that.

“Then why would your parents put you up to something like this,” he points out. Yeah, he had a point. But still! You didn’t want to admit that you couldn’t find someone in your life. But if this was the only way…

“Mhm, I can try. But I can’t guarantee that anything will happen,” you gave him a fair warning.

“That’s okay,” he says and moves so that he’s in front of you. “Because I want to make this work. And then I’m going to make you fall in love with me. And repropose when it’s the right time.” You stared into his olive brown eyes. He meant every word of it. And as sweet and romantic that may sound, your heart didn’t skip a beat. You wanted it to so badly, but it doesn’t.

“Mother isn’t this a bit too soon?” you asked your mother on the phone. You were standing outside what you thought was an office building, but it instead wounded up to be a bridal boutique.

“Well if I told you, then you wouldn’t have gone! Hurry inside, your appointment should be starting soon,” and hung up soon after. You sighed, putting your phone away in your purse. You’ve only met your fiancé for a few weeks now and you’re already trying on wedding dresses so soon? Not only did you not feel confident, but you were discouraged because you were alone. You didn’t have anybody by your side, not even your mother. It was very tempting to leave and come back sometime later, but you could never go against your mother. If she found out that you missed your appointment, she would go ballistic on you. With a regretful sigh, you entered the boutique.

“Welcome!” the lady at the front desk greeted you.

“Uhm, hi. I have an appointment,” you say very softly.

“(y/n) right?” she asks, like she knew who you were already. You nodded your head, confused and shocked how she knew your name.

“Perfect, right this way!” her cheery voice rang in your ear. It was the same fake voice you used whenever you are with your family. Gross. She takes you over to a private room where many dresses are already laid out.

“Now, (y/n). What kind of dress are we looking for?” she asks. And it left you wondering. What did you want? The news of marriage was so sudden that you didn’t have time to think of what you wanted. You just assumed that the older adults would take care of it and you were just there for the ride.

“I’m actually not sure,” you say embarrassed. Your consultant was probably judging you by now.

“That’s okay! We can try on a few and decide what you like and don’t like and go from there.” The consultant smiled at you, not a single ounce of judgment on her face.

So you tried on _many_ dresses. The big, poofy, traditional style wedding dresses looked horrendous on you. The fishtail was interesting but you didn’t like it. Lace looked old. You were starting to feel like finding a nice dress for you was hopeless.

“So, tell me about the groom,” your consultant started a conversation while fitting you into your next dress. Gosh, what do you say to that? Do you just confess and say that, oh it was an arranged marriage I don’t know this man at all?

“He’s very handsome and nice,” you decided to say. You weren’t wrong. Ushijima was very handsome and from those interaction that you did have with him, he was pretty nice. So technically, you weren’t lying.

“Are you excited for your wedding?” she asks another question.

“Not really,” you blurted out without even thinking. You realized your mistake, now having said too much and covered your mouth. She starts to laugh which throws your off guard.

“I can tell,” she says. It was like the information you told her didn’t surprise her at all.

“You can?”

“Of course. The look on your face as you came in today, the way you talked about your husband and the fact that you brought nobody with you? It was clear as day, honey. But we get those kinds of brides all the time. You may not love the man you’re about to marry, but you still deserve to look beautiful on your wedding day.” She advices, tightening up the last bit of the dress.

“Okay, how about this one?” your consultant backed away and you saw yourself in the mirror. It had a corset bodice that hugged your waist beautifully. Embroidered flowers covered the top, all the way down to half of the dress and slowly faded out. The skirt was flowy and had a long train. The dress was beyond gorgeous. And for once, you thought you looked really pretty. You couldn’t stop looking at yourself in the mirror.

“Wow,” you breathed. You looked completely different, like you haven’t seen this side of you before.

“I knew you’d like it. I’ll be right back. I’m going to bring a veil to bring the whole thing together,” she says and quickly runs out of the private dressing room to retrieve the item. You’re left mesmerized by the sight of you that you didn’t even notice someone come in.

“You look stunning,” a deep voice comes out of nowhere, scaring the living shit out of you. You turn around and Ushijima is standing there with his arms crossed, an amused look on his face.

“Ushijima!” you scream his name, covering your heart with your hand. “You scared me!” He laughs at your response, a chuckle coming from deep in his throat.

“Sorry,” he simply said, making his way to stand next to you. He looked like he just got out of work since he was wearing a suit. He looked clean and well put together. And when he stood next to you, it was like seeing you already at the wedding.

“Is this what we are going to look like at the wedding?” you joke. You thought it was funny how you two looked dressed for the occasion.

“No,” he said, wrapped his arms around your waist from behind. “Because you’re going to look even more gorgeous than you do now.” His low, deep voice tickled your ear, making you feel a little nervous. You get a glimpse of him in the mirror and you had to look away when you saw that he was staring right back at you.

“Okay, I think this one oh-” your consultant comes back in with the veil and is surprised to see that you have company. And it looks like she was ruining a special moment too. “I can just come back.” She says as she’s already backing out the door.

“Oh, no it’s fine,” you reassure her, slapping Ushijima’s hands away.

“We’ll take it,” he tells the consultant and gives her his credit card. She gladly accepts and is about to ring up the charge. While you were getting changed into your regular clothes, Ushijima was walking around the part of the shop where they sell other kinds of dresses. He comes across this one blue, off the shoulder dress and picks it up. Then he’s on his way back to the register with the dress in hand.

“This one as well,” he puts the dress on the counter. It might have been an impulse buy but he knew that it was going to look amazing on you at the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts and who you'd rather pick between Bakugou and Ushijima!  
> Also, I might be uploading here as well, but every day for this week, I will be uploading a new one shot, each featuring someone new on tumblr! If you are interested in seeing that, please follow me at kiribaku_queen! <3 Thank you all for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Ushijima was kind enough to drive you back to your apartment with dress in hand. The drive was quiet to say the least. You didn’t know what to say or talk about. Every interaction between you two so far has been formal and due to your parents’ intervention. Thinking back, there wasn’t a time where you actually got to know him. What was his favorite color? What were his hobbies? You quickly snuck a glance at the man beside you. His full attention was on the road ahead of him. He looked so serious that, would he even care about those type of questions? It seems like the only ice breaker questions you knew were for kids. Silly questions really. You didn’t want to risk the embarrassment so you looked out the window instead, watching as the buildings and people around you pass.

Your fiancé pulls up at your apartment, parking his car on the side of the road. You collected your things as Ushijima opens his car door. You were about to open your side when Ushijima already beat you to it.

“Oh,” you startled, not expecting him to do that. “Thank you.” You say, allowing him to take your hand to help you out of the car. Well that was very sweet and gentleman-like of him. You stand on the sidewalk as you wait for Ushijima to hand you your newly purchased dresses. He takes them out of the backseat but, he didn’t hand you the dresses. Instead, he slings them over his shoulder and talks inside your apartment building.

“Uhm, I can take it,” you offer, following him inside and insist on him handing you your things.

“I got it,” he simply says and continues to press the button on the elevator. Fine, you’ll let him have this. But you didn’t want him thinking that you can’t do anything. You’ve handled things by yourself for this long, you can certainly do more.

Both of you get into the elevator and as you’re about to push your floor, Ushijima does it for you. How does he know which floor you live on? But you brush it aside.

The elevator opens and he’s taking the lead to your apartment door. How does he know where to go?

The closer you get to your apartment, you grabbed your keys from inside your purse, ready to push it in the hole. But when you arrive at your apartment, you hear Ushijima pull out keys. What are those keys for? He inserts the key into the hole and… what do you know? Your apartment door is opened by Ushijima Wakatoshi whose never been at your place before.

You are dumbfounded. What just happened. He was going through all the steps like he’s been here a million times. Like he lives here or something. You stand outside your door, watching Ushijima put your dresses nicely on top of the couch and removes his jacket to place right next to it. Something is not right here. You step inside your place and look around. There were boxes in the kitchen and in the living room. Ushijima is going inside your spare bedroom that you use if you have guests over. Placing your belongings down, you inspect your apartment.

You opened the cabinets in the kitchen. There were cups and mugs that weren’t there before.

You enter your living room and papers and coffee that definitely was not there this morning was placed on top of the table.

You look at your shoe rack. Men’s shoes were placed next to yours and those were not the shoes that Ushijima was wearing just a moment ago.

You hear the door open so you spun around to see Ushijima in comfortable clothing. Grey sweatpants matched with a black top. Uh, where did his suit go? And how did he change into that?

“Ushijima, what is going on?” you finally asked, still in shock.

“What do you mean?” he has the audacity to say. The look on his face clearly states that he has no idea what you’re talking about. Did you really have to spell it out for him?

“Is this all your stuff?” you motioned to the stuff on the table and also to the unpacked boxes laying everywhere.

"Indeed.” He said. Annoyance started to boil inside you, but you had to remain calm. If you freak out, he might cancel the wedding. Not like that bothered you anyway. You actually prefer that the wedding was cancelled but you knew that if it did, your mother would never let you live down that guilt. So you tried to keep your composure, no matter how upset you were.

“May I ask _why_ your things are in _my_ apartment?” you asked through clenched teeth.

“Well, your mother suggested that we spend more time together. And what more to do that than live together? So I took the liberty in moving my things in to your spare bedroom,” he explained. But honestly, it didn’t make you feel better or even clear up the misunderstanding.

“Without my permission?” you questioned him. Your arms were crossed and you tried not to be visibly upset, but you were and he knew that. He calmly walked over to you until he was right in front of you. He was so tall next to you, you had to tilt your head so far back to even get a good look at him.

“You’re upset,” he said in more of a statement rather than a question.

“No,” you lied, but he knew you were lying. He took a step even closer you to, resting his hands on your hips.

“You can be upset. Mad, even. You know you can act yourself around me. You don’t have to act,” he softly says to you. You look to meet his eyes.

“What do you mean?” you had to act dumb.

“I know what you’re really like. When you’re upset, you yell at whatever is on your mind. Like if someone ran into you while you weren’t paying attention, you would yell at them to apologize. And if they weren’t responding, you would go on a tangent on how you could run into someone when the sidewalk was so wide. That some people have the nerve to do that to you,” he chuckles, his deep voice resonating in your ear. But hearing that whole scenario play out in your head again and knowing that he heard every word you said embarrassed you to no end. You covered your eyes with the palms of your hands so you didn’t have to face him anymore.

“Oh my god, you remember that? And you heard me?” you just wanted to run away and hide, never to be seen again. Ushijima chuckles more at your reaction and removes your hands away from your face.

“See, I’m already seeing the real you,” he points out. It did feel good not being able to act anymore, like you were a totally different person. Maybe he wasn’t a bad guy after all?

“What time is it?” Ushijima asks himself. He looks at the clock. It reads 5:03. “I should go get ready. And you should too.”

“Where?”

“The party. You will be accompanying me, correct?” he asks, as if nervous that you were going to deny him. But it was an important business dinner party and it would look good on him if you went, so how could you say no. You nod your head and he smiles. “Be ready by 6:30.” He says and goes off to get ready.

“Wait!” you call out for him and he pauses. “Will there be food?” you asked. He’s confused at first because it is a dinner, but nonetheless answers you.

“Of course.” That’s all you needed to know.

You grab the dress he bought you and went to your room. First, you took a long, hot shower to get rid of the nervousness you were feeling. He said to be you around him and not act. But he said that right before a big, important event? You had to look presentable and behave on point to help him. After drying off, you do your daily skin care routine and moisturize all over. Can’t forget the makeup. With much skill, your makeup didn’t take you much time at all. Then, you go see what Ushijima had picked out for you. You weren’t expecting him to buy another dress, but he insisted that he wanted you to wear it for this special occasion. You unzipped the cover to reveal a gorgeous, blue dress. But it was tight. You bit your lip because you were afraid that you were going to look absolutely silly in this dress but you tried it on anyway.

The straps rested at your shoulders, accentuating your neck, chest and shoulders. The bust part of the dress was tight enough that if you pushed your breasts up, they would stay in place, giving you a good view of your cleavage. Everything else was form fitting, all of your curves were showing in the right places and not going to lie, your butt looked pretty good. The dress came down to your knees and there was a slit on the dress to give it that extra sexiness. It was definitely a lot. You never looked like this or even dressed like this. It was like seeing a whole another person, even if you were staring straight at you.

You were noticeably skinnier thanks to that diet you were on. But you still weren’t satisfied how you looked. You kept moving your body in different directions to see how you would look like, and you didn’t like any of the views. You couldn’t possibly leave the apartment looking like this. A knock at your bedroom door startled you, making you hastily move to open the door.

“Are you ready?” he asks. Oh shit, it was already 6:30? Was it too late to change now? Ushijima sensed that you weren’t feeling comfortable.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, his thick eyebrows furrowed together.

“It’s just… I don’t know about this dress,” you confessed, feeling subconscious about your body. He opens the door a little farther to see the dress on you and he is blown away. You looked magnificent. There were no other words to describe you besides…

“Wow,” he breathed, taking the image of you in that dress all in.

“Does it look bad?” you freaked out after hearing his reaction. You couldn’t tell if it was a good reaction or bad, but you just assumed it was bad and wanted to change immediately. “I’ll go change.” You say, wanting to cry. But Ushijima grabs you by the wrist, halting your escape.

“No. You look incredible,” he complimented you, feeling like he couldn’t form the right sentences. But you were still skeptical. Without another word, he dragged you out of your apartment and to the party you went. What’s waiting there for you was going to lead to a whole lot of drama.

Bakugou was outside the venue, waiting for Momo to fix her dress. He looked in the opposite direction to give her some privacy but also guarded her so no one could come up to her.

“Are you done yet?” he asks, sighing in annoyance.

“Almost!” she yelled back. Bakugou had no choice but to wait there for her. He sighed again, stuffing his hands in his pockets. It’s been a long time since he’s felt like this. Any second now, he felt like he would turn back to his old self, with the screaming and the anger issues. But he tried to hard lock that inside him that he couldn’t give up so easily.

“Oi, how long do I have to keep up this fake boyfriend thing?” he called out to her.

“This is the last event, I promise!” she said. He could hear it in her voice that she felt bad for putting him through all this but she was on a mission and he promised that he would help her until that mission was accomplished.

“Done!” she said, happily. “Let’s go in!” excitedly, she drags Bakugou by the arm and into the venue. It was spacious and beautifully decorated. Once they got inside, the were greeted with a crowd of people and a grand staircase that led downwards to even more people. Businessmen and businesswomen were enjoying their time chatting and enjoying the hors d'oeuvres that were being served by several waiters and waitresses. Bakugou and Momo walked down the stairs, him helping her down like the gentleman he is. Immediately, she went towards the food, scrumptiously downing the food they had. Bakugou looked around. This wasn’t his style. He didn’t enjoy crowds or events like these where there’s too many people. If he had the choice of this party of staying at home and lounging around, he would choose the latter. But a promise is a promise, he couldn’t go back on his word.

Bakugou continued to glance around, in a place where he clearly does not fit in, while Momo was enjoying her free food. He happened to look up and the whole place froze in time. His lips parted in awe and the spotlight was on the person that was standing at the top of the grand staircase.

You were presented in a blue dress that hugged your body perfectly. Your skin was glowing under the lights, making you stand out even more. It’s been a while since Bakugou has seen you. You’ve been ignoring his texts and his calls. He should have given up by now. But it only made him think about you more. And now that you were right in front of him, everything about you took his breath away. He didn’t know if there were any words to properly describe how you look because each word wouldn’t do you justice. One thing did concern him though. You got noticeably skinnier. Have you been eating?

You hadn’t seen him yet, you just looking aimlessly around you. There was nobody with you, from what Bakugou could see. Were you here alone then? He was about to walk up to you when Ushijima comes up behind you and lays a hand right at your lower back. Bakugou sees you look up at him with a nod and a smile, his heart stinging. Oh, you were here with someone. A date? Ushijima escorts you down the stairs until you are met face to face with Bakugou and Momo.

“Momo? You’re here as well?” you look up startled to see your cousin. She also looks at you stunned but nods her head slowly.

“I’m Ushijima’s secretary, I have to be here,” she explains slowly. You nod your head in understanding. You quickly look at Bakugou, who was standing right beside her. You caught his eye and quickly looked back down. Giving a curt bow, you greet him.

“Bakugou.”

“(y/n),” his voice. Oh, his voice. You haven’t heard it in so long. You wanted him to say your name over and over again but it was too late for that. Momo glances between you and the tall man next to you.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other,” Momo said shakily, trying to sound happy but clearly failing. Ushijima wraps his arm around your waist, bringing you closer to him.

“Of course, she’s my fiancée,” he announced, making both Momo and Bakugou’s jaw drop to the floor. Fiancée? As in, you two were getting married? Bakugou looked at you with hurt eyes but you avoided his gaze as much as you could. You were still avoiding him. Pain and sadness hit his heart like never before. He lost you before he got the chance to have you.

Ushijima excused you both, escorting you to mingle with his current and future business partners. Bakugou and Momo stood there stunned by the news. Bakugou was upset but not as upset as someone else. He glanced down at Momo and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. Anyone could tell that she was visibly upset at the moment.

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath, trying to keep her composure. “He was my mission.” She sobbed into her hands. To save her from embarrassment, Bakugou took her away from the party and into a place where it was quiet and just them two.

“That Ushijima guy was your mission?” Bakugou questioned her.

“Yes! My mom was going to marry me away to some random guy, but if I showed her that I had a boyfriend then I wouldn’t have to get married. And your looks was the only one that could compete and actually let me off! And then I was going to seduce my boss and I would have my happily ever after!” she sobbed even harder. Bakugou just pat her on the back until she calmed down.

“You should have just told your mom the truth,” he told her softly.

“She wouldn’t have listened to me. She never listens to me,” Momo said dejectedly. Bakugou couldn’t do anything to help her. Just give her the support she needs until she can face it on her own.

An hour into the party, your stomach started growling. You tried to hide it but your stomach was strongly telling you that you needed food. But you couldn’t eat now. Especially not in this dress. If you ate now, your tummy was for sure going to stick out. That would not only be embarrassing for you, but probably for Ushijima as well. But your stomach likes to betray you and it rumbles again, this time catching your fiancé’s ear.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, ready to fetch you some food. But you hastily stop him.

“No, I’m alright. I can wait until we get home,” you reassure him, brushing it off like it was no big deal.

“But there’s so much food here. Go ahead and eat something,” he urged but again, you decline his offer.

“I’ve gone the whole day without eating. I think I can survive until the end of the night,” you say and Ushijima stops in his tracks.

“You haven’t eaten all day?”

“I mean, yeah. But it’s no big deal. I do it all the time,” you brush it off yet again. Ushijima stares at you for a bit then puts down his drink.

“Excuse us,” Ushijima told his company. He takes you by the hand and leads you to the exit.

“Where are we going?” you asked, looking back at the guests you just left who looked puzzled by your sudden disappearance.

“Home,” he simply stated, gently but persistently leading you out of the venue.

“Ushijima, I’m serious. I’m fine. I’ll eat plenty after this party is over,” you rested a hand on his, giving him reassuring eyes.

“The party is over. We’re going home,” he says so blatantly. Well, it looks like his mind was set and there was no convincing him.

“Fine. Let me go to the bathroom first,” you said. He nods his head and lets go of your hand and you head straight to the ladies room.

What you didn’t expect to find when you entered the restroom was a crying Momo, trying to clean herself up in the mirror.

“Momo? What’s wrong?” you hurried to her and she cries even more.

“It’s just not fair!” she cries, blowing her nose in a tissue. You kind of cringe seeing her like this. It was a side to her that you rarely see. Plus, she looked horrible crying a mess like that. You pat her back but say nothing more. But she had plenty to say. “Is it so hard to get the guy that I want? He was the only one I had eyes for. And _you_ just had to be the one to take him! And I purposely got a boyfriend to get out of that arranged marriage so I could be with him!” she complained, crying even harder than before if that was even possible. But you couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.

“What do you mean I took him? Ushijima?” Momo nods her head.

“You like Ushijima?” she nods her head again. But that didn’t sit right with you. She got everything she ever wanted. Got every job, every gift, every guy that she wanted and more. Finally, when you have someone for yourself, of course she wants him too. But you weren’t having it. You weren’t just going to give up your fiancé just to make her happy, even if you didn’t want to marry him in the first place. You finally have something that she wants and now, you weren’t going to let her have him. Especially now that she’s taken Bakugou from you. You could say this was your little revenge.

“Let’s switch, hm? You can have Bakugou and I can take Ushijima,” she begged. But you were going to stand your ground.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to go through with this marriage with him, whether you like it or not. I finally have someone in my life, arranged or not. And he acts like he really wants me. I never got that and now you want to take him away from me? That’s not fair,” you said, letting out all your feelings.

“But-”

“I’ve never been in love. Or have anyone love me. What if he’s the one? I’m not going to pass up that chance,” you interrupt her. Momo looks like she doesn’t have anything to say, but she also wasn’t going to give up.

“But I like Ushijima more than you! I’ve known and liked him more than you have. Don’t you like Bakugou? Take him! I’m sure our mothers will come to some type of agreement,” Momo was trying so desperately but you were like a rock that wouldn’t move.

“I’m sorry, Momo… I have to go, let’s talk about this later,” you dismiss the conversation and head back out. You didn’t have to go to the bathroom anymore after that.

While you were in the bathroom, Ushijima was waiting outside for you. Bakugou saw that he was finally alone and took this chance to talk to him.

“Oi, you (y/n)’s fiancé?” he went up to the olive-haired man. Ushijima squints his eyes at him and stands up tall. He was a little bit taller than Bakugou, him being taller and leaner. Bakugou, on the other hand, was shorter, more muscular and broader. Both figures intimidating anyone who goes by.

“Yes. You’re Momo’s date. Bakugou, was it?” Ushijima extends his hand towards the blonde. But Bakugou just looks at it and then back at Ushijima. Ushijima smirks, putting his hand away

“You come at me with lots of hostility. What do you need?” It took a while for him to say anything but eventually took the courage to say what was really on his mind.

“You better treat her right,” Bakugou says through gritted teeth. Ushijima doesn’t react but on the inside, he was rolling his eyes.

“And who are you to make such a threat?” Ushijima raises an eyebrow.

“Someone who cares deeply about her. Listen. (y/n) is amazing. Beyond amazing. She’s gorgeous. She’s smart. Kind. Funny. When she talks about her passion, you can see in her eyes that she is proud of what she does. She could go on for hours about her day and I would gladly sit there and listen because I love the sound of her voice. She would be laughing and sometimes she would laugh so hard that she would snort, making her laugh even harder and that is the cutest that I’ve heard. But she’s independent. She can do whatever a man can do. And I think that’s sexy. She cares deeply for her friends and family that she would do anything to please them, even marrying you. So the moment I hear that you broke her heart in anyway possible, I’m coming after you,” Bakugou confesses all his pent up feelings to your fiancé. The intensity of the glare the two men were giving each other was immense. But it was in that moment when Bakugou realized, that shit. He might be in love with you.

You and Ushijima left shortly after your bathroom break. There was an awkward encounter outside the bathroom, though, between Ushijima and Bakugou but you didn’t ask about it. He picked up Chinese takeout, upon your request as he was treating you, and brought it back to your apartment. Or shared apartment, you should correct yourself.

After changing into some comfortable clothing, you plopped yourself on the island of your kitchen, chowing down on your lo mein. You hummed in satisfaction. Not eating much really got to you, so when you eat one of your favorite foods, it feels like you were in heaven. Ushijima stood next to you, leaning over the island instead. And you ate in silence. But that silence didn’t last long because of the wandering thoughts in your brain.

It went back to your conversation with Momo in the bathroom. She claimed that she had feelings for him way before he had met you. So they had to have known of each other. Does that mean he might have liked her at one point? But gave up so you were second choice? But why you out of all people? That was a good question: Why you?

“Can I ask you a question?” you turned to Ushijima with a noodle sticking out of your mouth.

“Go ahead,” he ushers you on, taking another spoonful of his noodles in his mouth.

“Why me?” you asked and that seemed to catch his attention.

“What?”

“Why me? I men, why did you agree to this marriage when you barely know me,” you confronted him and asked the question you’ve been dying to ask since day one. He tilted his chin, looking like he was giving his answer quite a bit of thought.

“At first, I don’t know. I did whatever my mom wanted me to go. But now that I’ve met you, I think you’re gorgeous. I think you’re smart. Kind. Funny. When you talk about your passion, I can see in your eyes how proud you are of what you do. You could go on for hours about your day and I would gladly sit there and listen because I love the sound of your voice. You would be laughing and sometimes you would laugh so hard that you’d snort, making you laugh even harder and I think that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. But you’re also independent. You can do whatever a man can do and I think that’s sexy. You can deeply for your friends and family that you would do anything to please them, even marrying me.” He tells you, looking straight into your eyes. Every word, every sentence hit your heart, filling it with so much emotions. A single tear left your eyes, your heart pounded against your chest. Maybe he was the one for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter! I absolutely loved how this turned out and honestly is probably one of my favorite chapters I've written!


	7. Chapter 7

“These two are the final bachelorettes,” Ushijima’s assistant placed two folders in front of him that contained two faces: you and Momo. Ushijima picked up Momo’s profile. He knew her. She was his secretary but marrying her would be too messy. Not professional nor classy.

“Miss Momo Yaoyorozu, as you might know, graduated top of her class and managed to become successful at such a young age. As one might see, her visuals are stunning, causing many of your competitors to court her. But from what I’ve been informed is that she’s rejected all of them because of you,” Ushijima’s assistant informs him. He nods his head, not saying a word and sets her profile back down. Then he goes to pick up your profile.

“Miss (y/n) is quite the opposite of Miss Momo. Instead of following in her family’s footsteps in inheriting the company, she takes care of children in her town. She lives on her own, independent and self-sufficient. There’s no record of any affairs. But she is the daughter of your boss, which might help your status,” the assistant goes on to summarizing you. Ushijima lingers on your photo a moment longer, then sets it down next to Momo’s. He leans back in his chair, hands crossed against his mouth in deep thought, but again, not a word from him.

“Both bachelorettes are promising, since they are both cousins of the same family. I’m sure you’ll be rising up the ladder of success and status with either one of them.”

Ushijima picks up both pictures and weighs the pros and cons for both. Momo was definitely a sight for sore eyes. She denied every man coming at her for him. But she’ll be working close with him and that won’t look good in the press’ eyes. You, on the other hand, were still beautiful but more on the natural side. You didn’t have the brains like your cousin but you had a soft side to you if you were working with kids. The pro that caught his attention the most and makes him coming back to you was that your father was his boss. If he gets on his good side, then he’ll be promoted in no time.

“Her.” He says after a moment more, placing one profile on top of the other, showing his choice. He throws the papers on his next lazily for his assistant to inform the family of the lucky bachelorette. His assistant picks up the profiles that was given to him, showing your picture first.

“Good choice, sir,” he compliments, taking the unwanted profile, tucking it under his arm and off to inform your parents about the arrangement. Ushijima picks up your profile to give your face a good look before setting it in one of his drawers to return to later.

So here he was, giving you all of Bakugou’s reasons on why he picked you. Why did he do it? It was so easy. Bakugou served it to him on a silver platter. It all might have been a lie right now, but in due time, he was sure that he would find _something_ he would like about you. He’s leaning over you right now, both hands trapping you in your place.

You are overcome with emotion. A tear trickles down your face with no effort on your part. No one has ever said those words to you. No one has ever told you how amazing and cool you were. He didn’t just name generic personality traits that could describe anybody. He went into detail, in depth of examples and observations about you that you didn’t realize he was keeping track of. You didn’t think he was interested in you at all. But you were wrong. Maybe he really was the one for you. Maybe this whole arranged marriage wasn’t a bad idea afterall.

You were so touched and moved by his words that something just came over you. You grabbed his face, bringing him in close to you and kissed him. Ushijima was quick to return the kiss, placing his hands on your waist. You brought him in closer, wrapping your legs around his waist as you shared a passionate moment together. Your session started to get heated. His hands started to roam your body and your tongues danced along with each other. When his hands started to reach higher on your body, exposing parts of your skin, you started to panic. Hands reached out to stop him from going any further. He stops kissing you and looks at you with questioning eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized, looking down in embarrassment. You started this whole mess and now you were abruptly stopping. He must be annoyed or frustrated right now.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” he questions. His tone wasn’t like how you anticipated, which for some reason, made you feel even worse. Because he should be mad at you but he wasn’t.

“No, it’s just… I shouldn’t take it too far,” you say, not able to meet his eye. You were just admitting something so embarrassing that you feel like you might die.

“Why shouldn’t you?” he asks. God, does he not get it? Did you have to spell it out for him?

“Well, because… I’m… a…” virgin? You physically couldn’t bring yourself to say that word out loud. Ushijima really didn’t get it. He blinks at you, confused. Why weren’t you finishing your sentence, he thought. Was this a guessing game? Was it because you were… a bad kisser? Did want to have sex with him? Sex…

“Oh,” he finally came to the realization. He lets go of your waist and sets his hands back on the counter beside you. “Sorry, I came on too strong, didn’t I?”

“No, I started it. But, I’m not ready for _that_ yet,” you admit. He nods in understanding and backs away from you.

“Take all the time you need. You’re not leaving me any time soon,” Well, he had a good point. You had tons of time to build your relationship since you were going to spend the rest of your lives together, right?

Momo didn’t want to be at work. She just had her heart broke over the weekend, she didn’t need to see her boss everyday rubbing the fact that he was taken right in her face! Momo tried so hard to not look at him to avoid the heart break, but the moment he walks by, her heart picks up the pace and she’s peeking a quick glance.

Damn you.

Out of all the people he could have gotten married to, it had to be you, her cousin. The one she was closest with. And the one she could tell everything to. If only she had told you that she had a crush on him sooner, maybe you would have given him up. But your reaction to being Ushijima’s fiancée was not like you at all. And given the fact that she was willing to give you the man of your dreams in exchange for the man of her dreams and you declined?! Something was going on, and she was going to figure out what it was with the help of a special someone. Who better to help her than the one, the only, Bakugou Katsuki.

“You’re lucky I have a day off today,” Bakugou told her over the phone. Momo squealed in delight. She had her ways in getting what she wanted, even if she had to use some dirty tricks.

“And you’re lucky I’m paying for your lunch today. Hurry before I forget my masterplan!” Momo frantically said.

“Fine, it better be good,” he replied back before hanging up. Momo couldn’t be happier. She thought about this masterplan day in and day out. It was perfect. There was no way it could fail. It was the perfect plan for everyone to get what they want. A happy ending that everyone wants.

Bakugou is almost at the company building so Momo gets ready to clock out. During this time, Ushijima opens his office door with phone in hand. Even when he’s talking on the phone doing something that everyone does on a daily basis, he was the only one in her eyes. He happens to look up, meeting her eyes. Momo panics and looks away with her face all flushed.

“Ah. Miss Momo. Are you going on your lunch break?” Ushijima asks his secretary. Still completely flustered like she couldn’t believe he was talking to her, she nods her head, lovestruck. “What a coincidence, I am too.” And it was in that moment, Momo thinks that her crush is going to ask her to go to lunch with him. But dreams were still dreams. He tells her to have a good lunch break and leaves her disappointed. Not long after, Momo’s phone rings and she picks it up in a bad mood.

“What.” She says in a monotone voice.

“Woah, what’s with the animosity. I’m just here to tell you that I’m on my way up. Come to the elevator,” Bakugou informed her. Momo hung up and walked to the elevator. By the time she got there, the elevator doors opened to reveal the blonde man. He could see that she wasn’t too happy. Which was weird because she was just excited over the phone a few minutes ago.

“What’s with the change in mood, shortie,” Bakugou teased in hopes of raising her mood.

“Stop calling me that. I thought Ushijima was going to ask me out on a date but I just siked myself out! Now I’m sad,” Momo complained, practically ripping her hair out from frustration.

“You know he’s not going to pay attention to you since he has a fiancée now,” Bakugou pointed out, which made both of their hearts hurt.

“The truth hurts,” Momo sighed. “Speak of the devil.” Momo has her eyes on a certain couple right behind Bakugou. He spins to see you and Ushijima walking up together with a lunch box in hand. All four of you stop to stare at the strange situation presented in front of you. You’re looking at both Momo and Bakugou who are still together. Momo is looking at you and Ushijima and trying to make sense of why you are here at her workplace. Bakugou is staring at you because he can’t take his eyes off you. Ushijima? Well, he’s glaring at Bakugou, not too fond of the interaction they had last time.

“Excuse us,” Ushijima breaks the cold tension and motions for you to go to his office. “We can eat inside my office. It’ll give us more privacy.” He informs. Ushijima lays a hand on your lower back and guides you to the room. On the way there, you looked down to avoid the stares that you were getting. But passing by Bakugou, you couldn’t help but glance up and he’s already staring back at you. Yikes, you got caught. You quickly look back down again and rushed into Ushijima’s office.

Once you and Ushijima are inside his office, Bakugou and Momo are left standing in the exact same place, dejected. Momo was tired of feeling this way, so that’s why she came up with her masterplan. She dragged Bakugou to sit at her desk and explained her masterplan in detail from head to toe. There was no way it was going to fail if everything went according to plan. But Bakugou wasn’t listening to her.

From where they were seated, they got a good look into Ushijima’s office thanks to his giant windows that he failed to cover up. He saw you. Laughing and smiling at what Ushijima said. That used to be him. You used to look at him like that. And now you were looking at someone else.

“And if we did that, then-” Momo was concluding her plan, but when she went to look at her partner in crime, she saw him staring at you. Momo looked at you and back at Bakugou, sighing.

“You really like her, don’t you,” Momo stated the obvious. Bakugou snapped back to reality and his lips formed a thin line.

“Yeah, I do,” he said, sadly. It took him a long time to admit that he liked you and that he wanted to be with you. But now, he was starting to realize that it was all too late for him to get a chance.

“I think you should tell her,” Momo suggested but Bakugou denied on the spot.

“And then what? She magically comes running back, leaving her fiancé behind?”

“ _Arranged_ fiancé,” Momo corrected him.

“Doesn’t matter. They are still bound to get married,” Bakugou says defeated, continuing to look in your direction.

“But if she likes you too, then she can just call it off,” Momo stated but Bakugou continued to deny.

“It’s not that simple. I don’t even think (y/n) likes me back.”

“Oh, she was head over heels for you. And I think even now. I see how she looks at you. It’s not the same when she looks at Ushijima.”

“If she likes me, then why was she avoiding me all this time?” Bakugou challenges, leaving Momo speechless. Because really, she didn’t know. You never talked to her about that. That silences Momo for a bit but she was determined to let you know how Bakugou truly felt.

“You should tell her,” Momo says almost demandingly. “If you don’t, you’ll regret it and who knows? Maybe she’ll ditch her fiancé for you.” Bakugou doesn’t say anything. He’s deep in his thoughts. What if Momo was right? What if she said turns out to be true? But what if it turns for the worst? He came up with all these possibilities in his head, for good and for bad. Most of them turned out to be the worst scenarios.

So why was he standing in front of your apartment ready to knock on your door? He took a deep breath and tried to remember all the lines that he rehearsed. Everything he was going to say and do were slowly disappearing due to his nervousness. Shit, well he can’t back out now. He made it so far, he had to do this. Taking a deep breath to relax his body, he knocked on your apartment door three times. He did it. Fuck. Now he really can’t back down. Bakugou waited patiently for you to answer the door. But what he wasn’t expecting was Ushijima is be answering instead.

“Can I help you?” Ushijima asks, his deep voice resonating in the hallway. Confused, Bakugou looks at your apartment number to make sure that he didn’t get the wrong apartment by accident. But no. This was your apartment. So why was Ushijima here so late at night?

“What are you doing here?” Bakugou questions, avoiding Ushijima’s question entirely. His mouth already asking before he could process anything.

“Can I not be in my own apartment?”

“Your apartment?” Bakugou raises a brow, not connecting the pieces just yet. Or just, he doesn’t want to believe it yet.

“I live here now. With (y/n),” Ushijima spelled it out for him. And that hit Bakugou like a wall of bricks. Everything he prepped for, that he was going to say just went out the window. Hearing the news that you were actually living together broke him. And it was at that moment, he knew he lost. There was no point winning you back now. You were moving on and he needed to accept that.

“You know what? Just… forget it,” Bakugou said, defeated and left without saying another word. Ushijima watched him leave until he was out of sight before closing the door.

“Who was that?” you asked when Ushijima came back to the living room.

“No one important,” he said and joined you on the couch.

It was another day in the office, which meant another meeting Momo had to attend. She was gathering materials, along with Ushijima’s assistant for the important meeting that was happening in less than 10 minutes. She was double checking, printing out more copies and getting each chair ready for their guests. Momo heard the assistant panicking beside her.

“What’s wrong?” Momo asked, hoping that she could be of assistance.

“I forgot this file in Ushijima’s desk!” the assistant beat themselves over it. “Do you mind getting it for me?” the assistant pleaded.

“Sure. Where is it?”

“It should be in one of his drawers. It’s a big vanilla folder, can’t miss it. Thanks!” the assistant said before running off doing another last minute errand. Momo headed straight to Ushijima’s office.

He wasn’t there, of course. He must be getting ready for the meeting now. Thinking about nothing else but retrieving the folder, she opens any drawer she minds. They didn’t specify which drawer the folder was in so she just opened any, hoping to find it soon. The minute she opened the top right drawer, she saw a folder with your picture on it.

“What the…” she whispered to herself and grabbed the folder with all your information on it. She flipped through the pages, finding your pictures and private information. Comments and sticky notes were placed everywhere in the file. The comment that made her eyes widen was that your father ran the business in big bolded letters and circled in red.

“This bitch!” Momo exclaimed softly to herself. Ushijima was using you so that he would look good in the eyes of your father. Sneaky but smart on his part. Quickly and without getting caught, Momo pulled out her phone to take a quick snapshot of the evidence she found and immediately called you.

“Hello?” you answered a random call from your cousin.

“(y/n)! Thank god you picked up. I need to tell you something,” Momo said frantically in the phone. She had to make this quick. Not only was she still in Ushijima’s office with your secret profile in hand, but she needed to be in a meeting in less than 3 minutes.

“What is it?”

“Ushijima is using you to get to your father! He’s only marrying you so that he could rise to power!” There was a moment of silence on your end. Momo thought that the realization was sinking in and that you were finally going to blow up. But you didn’t.

“Well, I thought that was pretty obvious by now,” you say. Momo’s jaw dropped because she was not expecting you to say that.

“What?” Momo asked in disbelief. So you’re telling her that you knew all along but you’re still going through with the marriage?

“But, I don’t think that matters because I think he’s starting to develop feelings. And as long as this relationship doesn’t go south, then I think it’ll work out,” you say.

“How do you know he’s developing feelings for you?”

“Well…” you take a pause, embarrassed that he actually said this about you. “He told me all sorts of things he liked about me. Like how he liked my laugh, and how I was so independent and how I care for other people… stuff like that. Stuff no one’s ever told me before,” you admit.

“How do you know he’s not lying to get you to believe him?”

“He sounded really genuine. I don’t believe he could make up those comments on the spot,” you defended your fiancé. But Momo knew he had to be lying. She just needed proof. And she was running out of time. Frustrated that she couldn’t talk later, she ended the call earlier, telling you that she wasn’t done with the conversation yet and that they’d pick it up later. After scurrying for the right file, Momo was headed for the meeting and boy, she couldn’t wait for it to be over so that she could tell Bakugou.

Momo sprinted towards Bakugou’s apartment as soon as she got off work. The information she found was too juicy not to share. Maybe with this, it’ll convince him to win over you again. If not that, then do something! Bakugou met her at the entrance of the apartment to take her upstairs. The whole way there, she was talking about her findings.

“And then she was like WeLl As LoNg As He LiKeS Me. Like what kind of logic is that?!” Momo complained which made Bakugou chuckle a little.

“He’s starting to fall for her? Took him long enough. What’s he see in her?” Bakugou asked further which only riled Momo up even more. It hurt to know that they might be falling for each other, but as long as you were happy. But he knew that no one would fall harder for you than him.

“He said that he liked her laugh and told her how she was so independent and what not. And something about he likes that she cares about other people. She was like, he told her things that no one else has ever told her,” Momo tried to remember everything you told her and recite it back to Bakugou. As soon as he heard that, he froze. Now, that sounds awfully familiar. He _stole_ his words right out of his mouth and claimed them as his own. He didn’t like you. He was tricking you! Bakugou clenched his fists at his side, feeling his old self coming back. He was that angry that he was about to resort back to his old way of thinking and let his anger get the better of him. No, that wasn’t him anymore. Bakugou took a deep breath, letting his emotions disappear in thin air.

“Fucking asshole,” Bakugou breathed. “He stole the words right out my mouth.”

“I knew it. theres no way he would say that! God, and to think I had a hugest crush on him! I was a fool!” Momo sobbed in her hands. Her dreams were crushed knowing that the man of her dreams was nothing like she had hoped. Momo entered Bakugou’s apartment and is shocked by the mess. Or lack thereof.

Bakugou’s things were packed in boxes. The decorations he put on the walls and the furniture that tied the living room together were gone. Things were being rearranged and the room looked empty.

“What’s… what’s going on here?” Momo asked. It looked obvious, but it couldn’t be.

“Packing. I decided that it’s probably time that I get going. I never stay in one place for long anyway,” Bakugou rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“What about (y/n)? Aren’t you going to win her back?”

“Nah, I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t interfere with their affair. Plus, I don’t think (y/n) wants to anyway. She looks like she’s moving on, so I should too.” Bakugou put simply.

“When are you leaving?” Momo asked, sadness filled her lungs. She wished she could do something but Bakugou already made his mind up.

“Tomorrow.”

It was his last night in this quirkless city. His last night to watch over the town and possibly see you. Bakugou rested on top of a high building, relaxing. But you were the only thing on his mind. Ever since he made his presence known as a vigilante hero, the town has been quiet. Especially tonight, thank god. But he wishes something more would happen to get his mind off of you and release some stress. Maybe a good punch or two would do the trick.

He saw different types of people out and about. Couples just going on a date. Groups of friends exploring the city of the first time. Guys trying to pick up girls so they can get laid. Those were the worst types of guys. Clinging and pressuring women to sleep with them.

Like this guy right here. He was pushing a young woman into an alleyway to convince her to have sex with him. The woman was obviously fighting him off, but he looked awfully strong for how scrawny he was. Bakugou took a closer look. The guy had a crooked smile on his face and was reaching for his pocket, a shiny object reflected in the moonlight and alarmed Bakugou immediately. Without a moment’s hesitation, he swooped in, kicking the object out of the guys hand and shielded the young woman. The guy groaned in pain but that didn’t stop him from reaching another object in his pocket and charging right at him.

This was easy. He had no form, no strength. He was charging at him with nothing but pure anger. Bakugou grabbed his hands, twisted them behind his back and pushed him to the ground. Bakugou took a hold of the object that the guy had. A syringe. Was he going to inject this woman with a mystery liquid or take her blood? Whatever he wanted to do, thank god he stopped him in time. He tied the guy up and put him on the opposite side of the woman.

“Sit still while I call the police,” Bakugou told the villain, if he should even call him that. He dusted his hands off and was about to check on the woman if she got hurt or not, but he heard a scream and then a sharp pain emerged on his left shoulder.

“Blood, blood, blood!” the guy chanted. He pulled the syringe back, sucking Bakugou’s blood out of him. 

“What the fuck!” Bakugou shouted in surprise. How did he- He must have gotten out of that hold by cutting the rope with his syringe. Before the villain could get any more blood, Bakugou spun, wrapping his hand around the villain’s face and popping a few explosions.  
“Fucking freak!” Bakugou shouted, his explosions making the guy let go. Bakugou wasn’t finished just yet. He landed a few more punches on him and gave him a good explosion with his quirk so that he couldn’t move anymore. Now that was more action than he got in months. Fuck, that hurt his shoulder though.

“Thank you, Ground Zero!” the woman shouted. He could hear the fear in her voice. Shit, he forgot that she was still here. He turned to her, making sure that she was okay, but came face to face with your tear stained face and on the floor shaking. You were the one he saved? He got even angrier at the villain, knowing that you were in severe danger and could have been seriously hurt. He was going to give him a good beating later.

Bakugou was about to ask if you were okay, when he stopped himself. You still hadn’t recognized him. You thought you were dealing with the infamous hero: Ground Zero and not Bakugou Katsuki. If he opened his mouth now, you were bound to figure out that it was him. So instead of verbally accepting your thanks, he pulls you in for a tight hug. He was remembering how you felt in his arms, how you smelled and how comforting you felt. He missed this. He missed you. More than you would ever know. But you were going to be happy without him.

You were shocked that the infamous hero of your town was pulling you in for a hug. All the anxiety and fear that you were feeling were no longer there. All you felt was comfort and felt protected in the hero’s arms. The moment you touched his back to hug him back, the hero pulled away and left without saying a word. Because when Bakugou looks back at this moment, you were just going to be a beautiful memory.


	8. Chapter 8

“Do you think we should give up? I can’t even count how many cities we’ve been in and no luck,” the short, brunette haired girl complained while fanning the fake sweat away like it was the hottest day on earth. The two boys that were with her payed no attention to her dramatic self. She did this to every city they visited. But the red-head and green-head heroes were determined to find a friend that they missed dearly, who also happened to be missing in action for quite sometime now without any notice.

The green-head hero looked at his phone again, zooming in on the picture that an anonymous person sent him of a familiar, ferocious hero that he’s been looking for for months. No coordinates were given, so he had to just go off of the buildings that were surrounding him. Was he sure that he was still residing in the same town? No. But he had to start somewhere.

“Let me see that picture again,” the spiky, red hero took the phone from the other’s hand and examined it.

“I think these buildings look the same,” the number 1 hero stated, looking around the busy town.

“Mm, I think we should skip this city. I don’t think Bakugou enjoys this kind of atmosphere,” the red-head pointed out, making the other two pout in disappointment.

“What if he is in this city? Then we’d be skipping right over him!” the other guy didn’t want to skip just because of that simple fact. All of them could have said that about any city they searched, but they still came out empty handed no matter how optimistic they were.

“Well you know what to do. Start asking around and see if we can get any information,” the brunette announced, ready to start even if she was just complaining two seconds ago. The boys were already on it, splitting away from the group to ask everybody and anybody if they’ve seen a certain buff and handsome, yet scary and intimidating at the same time, blonde around town.

Momo was persistent. For what reason? You stole the man of her dreams, not to mention that you were going to marry him. And when she offered to switch you back the man of your dreams, you refused! Bad choice of words, but still. You didn’t even like Ushijima, yet you didn’t want Bakugou? But knowing the fact that he’s using you only for his personal gain? Yeah, that’s not going to fly with her.

Boy or no boy, no one messes with her cousin like that. She had to tell you the truth but you won’t hear her out! If you happen to fall in love with your arranged fiancé, and then found out about his plan, you are going to be crushed. So Momo needs to convince you to not marry him, not only so that scenario doesn’t happen, but also because she knows that he is not the one for you.

“Momo, how many times do I have to tell you that this conversation is over?” you say over the phone to your cousin. Coffee and bag in one hand, and phone in the other, you were already rushing to get to work. You didn’t need this right now. You would have been on time if only Ushijima didn’t make you sit down and eat breakfast first.

“(y/n), please. You need to listen to me. He does not like you. He’s only using you for financial gain and status. He’s just making it look like he likes you so that the marriage goes through!” Momo was practically screaming through the phone. You rolled your eyes because everything that was coming out of her mouth sounded like nonsense.

“And I already told you this. He told me what he liked about me. He couldn’t have pulled that out of thin air if he didn’t mean it,” you said. Shit, you were going to be really late for work now. If you didn’t hurry it up, your boss was going to yell at you. And you did not want to start the day off crying.

“Yeah? You know who said those words first? Bakugou.” Her words made you come to a halt. Hearing his name made your heart jump. As much as you didn’t want it to, you couldn’t help it. Bakugou Katsuki said those words? And Ushijima just happened to recite it perfectly to you? On what occasion did Bakugou say those words and when did those two ever have an encounter without you being there? It sounded too good to be true, so you didn’t believe her.

“Momo, look. I know you like Ushijima. Way more than I’d like to believe but I am not going to give up. Tell me all the lies you want, but you will not have him. You can have everything you want. Anyone you want. But you can’t have him. For once, I have something you don’t,” you said, confidently. This would be a good speech, Momo would have to admit. Only if you were _right_ about the man you were talking about! How was she going to convince you when you were so set on this? And that’s when it hit her. It could backfire on her and it might not work but it was the only option at the moment.

“Ask him then,” Momo said, but you didn’t quite understand what she was trying to suggest.

“Ask him what?”

“Ask him. What he thinks about you. I guarantee that he will not remember what he said that night. And if I’m right about that, then I’m right about him not loving you. So you don’t have to go through this marriage if you don’t want to,” Momo tried to persuade her desperately. You stayed silent on the other side. And then you thought about what she said. Could she possibly be right? Was it worth doing? Or was it going to waste your time?

“I have to go. We’ll talk about this later,” you say before hanging up the phone. You heaved a big sigh and stuffed your phone in your pocket. You still didn’t know if you wanted to trust Momo on this one. Well, you had all day to think about it. And the thought wasn’t going to go away no matter how much you were going to distract yourself.

Later that day after work, you were headed home, of course thinking about what Momo had to say to you on the phone earlier. If she was lying about everything, she was going to big lengths to try to get to Ushijima. But if she wasn’t lying, would anything change anyway? You would still have to marry him after everything that’s been planned already. And she mentioned Bakugou. Switch partners? Was that even possible? He didn’t even like you back. What makes Momo say that you and Bakugou could be together if feelings weren’t mutual? Maybe Momo really just wanted Ushijima after all…

Gosh you couldn’t help but think she was also telling the truth. The thought of Ushijima lying to you shattered your heart. Not because you have feelings for him, necessarily. But because you thought that you had a chance at love and it was all going to waste because of selfish greed.

Your mind was all mumbled jumbles and you didn’t know what to believe anymore. You couldn’t even trust your own judgement. Fuck it, you were going to ask him. Once you know your answer, your mind can be put to ease.

You entered your apartment and was surprised to see Ushijima home so early, working in the living room. He looks up when he hears the door click shut and removes his glasses.

“Welcome home,” he greets you with a smile. You smile back, taking a seat next to him.

“You’re home early,” you pointed out, picking up some papers and examining the graphs and countless numbers that you did not understand. Oof, it was giving you a headache so you put it down, leaving his stuff alone.

“I didn’t have anymore meetings so I’m finishing up some paperwork at home,” Ushijima told you. The word ‘home’ rolled off his tongue so easily. Your apartment, or more like your shared apartment now, was home to him. It got you thinking again: Was Ushijima really lying to you? Everything he says, everything he does with you, to you seems so genuine and natural. If Ushijima treats you this way for the rest of your life, you feel like you would be content. But it ran deeper than that. You would feel content for a short time because it only mattered if he loved you and you loved him. Momo was right, you need to ask him.

“Um, Ushijima?” You call out to him, clearing your throat first. He hums back, not looking away from his computer.

“Why do you like me?” you asked, making the man beside you tense up. For a split second, you see him stop typing but then resumes right after. At that little action, you started to get suspicious of him.

“Why? I told you already,” Ushijima dodged the bullet, hoping that you weren’t going to keep asking him questions. Oh, but you had no intentions on stopping until you got a clear answer from your fiancé.

“I know, but I forgot. Could you remind me?” you played dumb, giving him subtle touches to feign your innocence.

“Well,” he started. This was the moment you started paying close attention even if it didn’t look like you were. Because his words touched you so much that night, you remembered every detail he said about you. So if he messed up, you knew he was lying and that Momo was telling the truth. “I think… you are very beautiful and your personality is impeccable.” You wanted to laugh. Ushijima, what a way with words he has. Impeccable? That’s the word choice he wanted to choose to describe your personality?

“What do you think about my laugh?” you tried to give him a free pass and help him but he didn’t take it.

“Your laugh? Uh… it’s nice. You laugh a lot.” he says. You nod your head, acting like you were interested in what he had to say.

“Do you think I’m independent?”

“Independent? Well, yeah. Sort of? Sometimes you need my help, but you can do _most_ things by yourself,” Ushijima said, honestly. It was getting harder and harder to bite your tongue at his responses. His answers weren’t even close to what he said before. Unlike his long and detailed response from before, it was short and generic. Like he could be talking about anybody. They weren’t unique or catered to you at all. Even after spending all this time together, him moving in with you and you spending your lunch breaks together, he could have at least thought of something! Even if it wasn’t the same exact answer you were looking for, at the least he could have thought of something about you during your times together. But he didn’t think of you like that. Far from it, actually. He didn’t think of you or care about you at all.

You had heard enough.

The disappointment and defeat was written all over your face. But Ushijima hasn’t looked you in the face for even a second.

“You’re such a liar,” you whispered.

“What did you say?” Ushijima asked, not catching what you said the first time.

“I said you’re a liar,” you said more confidently, looking him straight in the eyes. Ushijima swallowed hard, unable to comprehend the predicament that he got himself into. “Why would you do that? Why would you say all of those things if you didn’t mean it?” you asked, feeling hurt by his actions. Ushijima wanted to make up an excuse, any excuse to save his ass. But you already knew. You caught him fair and square. There was no point in hiding anymore so he told you the truth.

“I just… said something, okay? I don’t know. When you asked that, I panicked. Because I didn’t feel anything yet. But maybe if I said that, someday I will be able to tell you what I like about you. But not right now. Did I miss my shot?” he looks at you and all you could do was sigh and feel like a fool. You were tricked real good and you couldn’t believe that you fell for it. The thought of falling in love and someone falling in love with you took over you whole mind and blinded you of all these red flags and blindsided you from seeing the truth.

“Yeah…” you replied awkwardly. A decision in your mind made your heart feel heavy. Is this what a breakup feels like? “This probably isn’t going to work.” You tell him your honest feelings at the moment.

“Wait, (y/n),” Ushijima tried to stop you but you weren’t having it.

“I would have understood, if at the time, you didn’t say anything because you didn’t feel anything. We haven’t known each other that long, I get it. But to lie to me? And made me believe that someone would actually have feelings for me? Not to mention that you took someone else’s words-”

“How did you know that?” Ushijima interrupted you, shocked that you knew he took Bakugou’s exact words. You stopped in your tracks, feeling like your ears deceived you.

“So it’s true?” Ushijima stayed silent. His silence gave you your answer and you never felt so stupid. Momo was right all along. What the fuck was wrong with you? Shakily, you got up and grabbed your jacket and phone.

“Where are you going?” Ushijima jumped up from the couch, following you out the door.

“I have to do something,” you say in a rush and in a split second, you are running out of your apartment complex to god knows where. All you knew that you had to do was whip your phone and immediately dialed Momo’s number.

“Hello?” Momo answered the phone in her cheery voice.

“Momo, you were right,” you got straight to the point. “He lied. Fuck… I’m so stupid.” You gripped your hair in frustration.

“Okay, okay. Calm down (y/n). Take a deep breath,” Momo could hear how frustration and angry you were from the other side, so she tried to calm you down. But you didn’t want to. You just needed to know one answer.

“Please don’t lie to me. Is it true? That Bakugou really said those words?” If it was another lie, you don’t know if you could take it. You would probably break down in the road right now, not caring if strangers were looking. Momo’s response felt like she was taking her sweet time.

“It’s true,” she muttered and you let out a breath of disbelief. If you weren’t outside, you would probably be crying at how ridiculous this situation was. But you were also… happy? Excited? Relieved? Confused? Let’s do all of the above. A smile creeped up your face and you covered your mouth with your hand.

“Well, shit. Shit. I have to talk to Bakugou. Do you know where he is?” you still felt the adrenaline running, making you feel the rush. A pause came from Momo again. Because she forgot to tell you that Bakugou was leaving. _Tonight._ Actually, right now. How was she supposed to relay that news to you? But she knew she had to. That was the right thing to do.

“(y/n)… he’s leaving town,” Momo finally said it. All hope you had again flew right back out the window.

“What?”

“He’s leaving. He was crushed that you were getting married so he decided to leave town and continue traveling. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Momo apologized, biting her nails, anticipating your answer. But you couldn’t answer her. Another chance at love was within your reach. It was so close but now it was slipping through your fingertips. Because you messed up. You messed up and now it was all going to be over. Defeat washed over you once again and you felt numb.

“Oh. Oh, okay. Thanks. I’ll talk to you soon.” You say, weakly hanging up the phone. You heard Momo on the other side trying to get your attention but you didn’t want to hear it. You had two choices: run after him or give up. And you chose the latter. It was probably already too late to chase after him anyway. He’s probably left already. Even if you did try to stop him, if he left, then you would look like an idiot and your efforts would have gone to waste. And what would that make you? Going to man after man when the relationship doesn’t work out? He would think that you were making him second choice. That wasn’t true but you didn’t want him thinking that either. Plus, if he wants to continue his travels, who are you to stop him? He did mention that he wasn’t going to stay in town for long when you first met. You should have saw this coming, buit you didn’t know it was going to hurt this bad. Another thought: if he liked you like everyone says he does, then he would have tried to fight for you. But you didn’t see that at all. So did he truly like you?

You walked aimlessly around the city, letting your thoughts consume your mind. Fighting over if you still wanted to chase after him or not. After thinking all those negative thoughts, you suddenly thought about those what-ifs. What if you stopped him and he came back to you? What if you started dating like how you imagined? What if he wants you to stop him from leaving? Though the negative thoughts outweighed the positive, that slimmer of hope caused you to run towards the train station in hopes that he didn’t leave yet.

Bakugou stood on the platform where his train was going to show up with duffle bag in hand. He looked at his watch: 5 minutes until his train shows up. Where was he going? Hell if he knew. Anywhere really. He wasn’t picky. He just hoped that the next city he pops in was just like this one.

His heart felt heavy and wouldn’t stop beating at the thought of you. He’s never found someone that he’s really had feelings for before. It was a feeling he wanted to keep and treasure forever, but life doesn’t always go the way you want it to. He’ll learn to move on. He’s done it all his life. Move all unnecessary feelings out of the way to achieve his dreams. Bakugou knows that moving away was for the best. But in the 5 minutes he had to kill, he thoughts always led back to you. How he was going to miss you laugh. Your smile. The way your nose crinkles when you’re holding back a laugh. The way your hair flows in the wind. And the way your perfume hits his nose at the same time. He just wanted to wrap you in his arms and smell you all day. How comfortable you would feel in his arms… it feels like a dream. And thinking about waking up to your sleeping face every morning was an image he would think about every day.

These feelings and vivid images of you in his mind were so clear and realistic that he’s having second thoughts about leaving. All of a sudden, there was an overwhelming urge to just run to you to try to win you back for the very last time. If that doesn’t go well then that’s when he’ll finally give up. And that’s what he did. He said fuck it, grabbed his bag and ran towards the exit. The moment he left, his train pulled up to the station.

Bakugou slings his bag over his shoulder to help him run better and as soon as he turns the corner, he runs into someone smaller than him. Thank god he saw them coming, even for that split second, so he tried his best to slow down. He caught them in his arms but when he looked down, all he saw was your wide, innocent eyes. Weird, why did this person have your eyes? It took a minute to even recognize that it was even you.

You are both flabbergasted. The moment you turned the corner, you were caught in Bakugou’s arms like you always are. All you did was stare in each other’s eyes. No one said anything because not only were you both in shock, but what were you going to say to each other? You didn’t think this far in the plan. What-

“-are you doing here?” Bakugou blurted out his thought, which also happened to be your thought that you said aloud. Both of your cheeks become hot with embarrassment.

“(y/n),”

“Bakugou,” you both talked over each other again. God, this was getting really embarrassing now.

“Go ahead,” Bakugou spoke up, allowing you to speak your thoughts first. You bit your lip because you didn’t know what to say. The first thought that came to your mind was-

“I hate you,” you teared up and it showed in the hoarseness of your voice. You pounded your fist against his chest and it became harder the more emotional you got. “I hate you, I hate you.” Was all that you could manage to say. Bakugou let you hit him because he deserved it. He looked down at you with understanding and soft eyes. He stopped both of your wrists, holding them in his hands. Then he pulled you in, cupping your face and connected your lips. You were shocked but immediately allowed yourself to melt in the kiss.

This was kiss was different. Different from the one you shared with Bakugou the first time and different from the one you shared with Ushijima. You could feel all of his emotion through this kiss. How upsetting it was seeing you with another man. The outrage he felt when he found out that you were bound to be married. The sadness when you were unattainable. The happiness when he saw you just moments ago. And the desperation to finally have you in his arms. You were finally his to have all to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Bakugou's official hero name is Dynamight but for the sake of finishing this story, I'll leave it as Ground Zero. In future stories, I will be correcting it to Dynamight :)

You could finally say that you found your person. Bakugou was already back with you, you didn’t even need to persuade him. After your rather surprise kiss from Bakugou in the train station, you were already ready to persuade him to stay. You didn’t have to say anything because he was already taking your hand in his and led you out of the station and back to your apartment.

Speaking of your apartment, Ushijima no longer lived there. He respected your decision and although he was still trying to talk you into marrying him one last time, the moment he saw Bakugou’s face and the look you gave each other, he knew he lost. What could he say? What could he do? Be the asshole of the story? Please, he didn’t have the energy to keep that up. But your mother wasn’t very happy about the news.

When you told her that the engagement was off, she was livid. She was telling you how much better off you’d be marrying Ushijima. You’d be happier. Richer. You’d be with a handsome man who is successful and therefore, you would be successful. He has a stable job and can take care of you for the rest of your life. All that was certainly true. Except you weren’t happy. Yet, even knowing that fact, your mother refused to believe you wouldn’t be happy in the future. It was like you were throwing your whole life away. So, your mother kept insisting the wedding to continue. Even with Ushijima interfering and saying that the wedding was off, she didn’t want that.

You and Bakugou were pretty persistent though. It took lots of convincing to get your mother on your side. And that may or may not include Bakugou sending your mother gifts every single day. What kinds of gifts? The one that will always capture the heart of a women. Flowers, chocolates, fruit bouquets, luxury items in a gift basket. Need you say more? Eventually she approved, but it took her a while.

So now, you actually moved out of your apartment and into Bakugou’s. Well, not necessarily moved out? You still have your apartment, but you’re over at his so much that you basically live there now. Surprisingly, his apartment is very nice and spacious. Almost to the level of your apartment. You wonder how he could afford that with his construction job, but you weren’t one to pry… just yet.

You were cooking dinner for the both of you in Bakugou’s apartment. Of course, you had a spare key thanks to Bakugou gifting it to you for your one month together. Bakugou had yet to come home yet so you were taking your sweet time cooking up that delicious recipe of yours. It was getting a little quiet in the apartment so you turned your phone on to fill the space.

Music? Oh no. The news. That’s what happens when you get older: you watch the news while cooking. Nothing too important came on. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. You zoned out a few times since the news was just backgrounds noise. But you started to tune in when the news reporter talked about a story on the local, mysterious hero and who was this man? You heart did a little leap in your chest thinking about the hero. He’s saved you a few times, which is unreal first of all. Second of all, he was dreamy! You could never talk to him because he would always leave in a hurry. The only time you did have a talk was when he first came to town. But that was ages ago! Sure, you remember the encounter but you knew nothing of what he looked like, what he sounded like or what you guys even talked about. Even these pictures the media takes don’t do him justice. They are always blurry or too dark to see anything.

The news reporters were in the middle of their story when Bakugou came back from his shift. You immediately stopped what you were doing: turned off the stove and everything to jump in his arms to greet him.

“Welcome home!” you squealed, wrapping your legs around his waist while he digs his nose in the crook of your neck.

“I missed you,” he confessed, taking in a whiff of your scent. It wasn’t long until he started smelling something else, something more delicious and mouth-watering. “And I miss food. What you cooking?” he lets you down and heads towards the kitchen.

All eyes were now on your almost finished food. You quickly turned back on the stove to give it the finishing touches before serving it. You wanted to finish cooking so that you could finally eat, but Bakugou had other plans. He wrapped his arms around your waist from behind and took a good whiff of your food.

“Mm, smells good,” he says.

“I’m almost done,” you giggle when his nose touches the back of your neck.

“Smells so good, I might have to take a bite now,” Bakugou teased, opening his mouth to lightly bite the sensitive area on your neck.

“Bakugou Katsuki!” you scream and try to get away from him. But the more you try to get out of his embrace, the tighter his arms become around you, making it nearly impossible for you to escape. Nearly. You managed to escape his embrace but soon found yourself trapped between the counter and your hungry boyfriend.

“You can get dessert later,” you scolded him, hitting him playfully on the chest.

“Baby, I want some now,” he lowers his voice that makes him sound oh so seductive. His eyes were looking you up and down. He bites his lower lip in the way that makes your legs melt. Oh he meant business now. You were mesmerized and put in a trance the closer his body came. You mind was telling you to wait, at least until after dinner and you could have all the fun you want. Plus, if you did it now, your dinner would get cold and then it would all be to waste because of your needs. But your body was falling for his charms so badly. And you almost gave in, if it wasn’t for a noticeable bruise on his cheek and that cut on his lip. That’s when you completely snapped out of it and held his face to get a closer inspection.

“Woah, I like it when you take charge,” Bakugou continued to flirt, not knowing that you can found marks on his face and change attitudes in a split second.

“What happened?” you asked with a concerned frown on your face. Oh, that’s what you were talking about? Bakugou cleared his throat and slowly turned away from you, like he was completely disregarding the topic.

“Bakugou,” you whined, making him turn to face you.

“I just- got a few marks from working, that’s all,” he reassured you, but you were suspicious. What was he doing that he got cuts on his face? Sure, maybe his hands or his legs. But the face?

“What were you doing at work that made your face like this?” you asked. No matter what kind of situations you put yourself in, it made no sense to get that beat up as a construction worker.

“Work is so fast paced. Sometimes I don’t even know I got hurt until hours later. I feel fine. See? Doesn’t hurt,” he poked his face and he wasn’t flinching one bit. Maybe you were overreacting a little bit. Bakugou could tell on your face that you wanted to continue to talk about it until you got a satisfying answer, so he changed the subject real fast. He couldn’t have you knowing how he really got those bruises.

“What ya watching?” he asked, turning your attention away from his face and back to the news on your phone. They took a commercial break and were now continuing on with the story of who Ground Zero really is.

“Don’t you want to know who this hero is?” you started the conversation, your eyes glued to the screen.

“Not really. Why, do you?”

“Yes! You’re not curious?” you looked at him with wide eyes, like he was crazy for not wanting to know what the whole city wants to know.

“Why do you care so much anyway?” he asks like he doesn’t care and is uninterested when really, his ears are all open.

“He’s just so cool! He appears out of nowhere and saves this town from crime? Not even our police does that good of a job. It’s refreshing to see a hero, a real hero, here. Did you know he saved me a few times? Don’t be jealous, babe. But he was something. It’s just weird that he only appears at night, you know? Crime happens at all times of the day, but he only shows up at night where you can’t see his face that well. He also wears a mask, too. So I guess that’s another reason why we can’t figure out who he is. But isn’t that weird, babe? Makes me want to know who he is,” you went on a rant, talking about everything and anything you knew about him. Bakugou’s eyes softened when you talked about him. He didn’t know you were so passionate about his secret hero life. The way you were talking about the hero makes it seem like you have a crush on him. How cute. You were dating him in real life _and_ you have a crush on him as a hero? You really couldn’t get enough of him.

Ever since that news story came out about him, the whole town was buzzing about who could this mysterious hero be? Who is he? Where did he come from? And why is he here, saving this city? So many questions were left unanswered. Of course, there were some conspiracy theories but none of them could be proven. There were some so determined to find out who this guy was that they were hunting him down.

Every time Bakugou found himself in a villain fight, best believe that there would be paparazzi or civilians with their bright phones out, trying to get a good picture of his face in. Annoying as it was, he was also determined to keep his identity a secret. That meant hiding his face from the phones as he was fighting. Not only did he have to try to hide away from paparazzi, but he also had to hide his scratches from you.

He was a good hero. Good fighter and can capture any villain coming his way. Now, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t land a punch or two on him. Sometimes he wasn’t trying his hardest and would land a lucky punch. Or he could underestimate his opponent and they would surprise him with a few punches.

He had to be careful because you were observant. Like very observant. If anything was off, you would notice it right away. And Bakugou was getting these wounds more often than you would like. Bakugou would lie and insist that they were from work, but he knew that you weren’t buying it. For some reason, you didn’t press on about it. And that made him nervous. Did you know? Or did you not care?

Word got out fast in this town. And it just so happens that three certain heroes were passing by and overheard this news.

“Bingo.”

It was rare that both of you had days off. Today was one of those days. What other way to spend together than run some errands, go home to cook some amazing food, and chill on the couch watching TV?

You were browsing the aisle while Bakugou was following behind with a cart full of groceries. Instead of one of you just cooking, it was decided that both of you were going to make a collaboration dish. It included a lot of ingredients, but you were sure it was going to turn out amazing like always.

At the same time, Midoriya Izuku, Uraraka Ochako, and Kirishima Eijirou entered the same store. Kirishima and Uraraka were complaining that their stomachs were literally eating itself and they _had_ to get snacks or else they’d turn into puddy. So to the nearest supermarket they went. Who would have thought, after weeks of searching, they’d find the one they’ve been looking for.

“Oi, is that..?” Kirishima started and Uraraka could only nod slowly.

“Yeah…” It was Bakugou Katsuki in the flesh. He hasn’t seen them yet. No. He was too focused wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and pecking her with kisses as she tries pushing him away, laughing. The sight was definitely… something. Was this really Bakugou Katsuki? The Bakugou they knew was loud, aggressive, mean. He wasn’t the type to fall in love. He never even looked in a woman’s direction.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Izuku marched towards the blonde and his significant other, the other two heroes following closely behind. They only took a few steps when a elderly woman stopped them from approaching their long lost friend.

“Wha-” Izuku was startled by the small lady’s presence. If he didn’t stop in time, he was sure to run over her like a bug. By accident, of course.

“I’d leave them alone, if I were you,” she stated. That confused the trio. “Those two have been through so much and they are finally able to be together with no obstacles in their way. Don’t bother the lovely couple.” The old lady shooed the trio away from you two. Izuku looked back at this friend. Bakugou was looking down at you with the sweetest smile. He looked happy for once. He looked like he was genuinely happy. Izuku saw the love in Bakugou’s eyes and he felt immediate guilt. Bakugou was happy, but the world needed him. Shit, what was he going to do now?

You were in the middle of prepping your ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Bakugou was supposed to help you, but he’s been stuck in the bathroom for 30 minutes, so you started without him. When you were about finished, a knock at the door scared you. You never got visitors, so who could possibly be at the door? You wiped your hands on your pants and went to open the door. Three strangers, whom you’ve never seen before in your life, were standing in front of you.

“Hi. Can I help you?” you asked.

“Hi, is Kacchan there?” The one in the middle with green curly hair spoke. You tilted your heard upon hearing that name.

“Kacchan? You must have gotten the wrong place. No one by ‘Kacchan’ lives here,” you informed them. The one in the middle shook his head and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I meant, is Bakugou Katsuki there?” Mm? They were looking for your boyfriend? Now you were confused even more. Bakugou never mentioned people were coming over. Actually, he never mentioned having friends ever. Nonetheless, they knew your boyfriend so it would be rude to have them stand outside like that. You invited them in, allowing them to sit on the sofa. You prepped some tea and set it down for them to help themselves. Then, you were freaking out, going to find your boyfriend because who the hell were these built yet very attractive people doing here?

“Katsuki?” you called for your boyfriend. Thank god he got out of the bathroom on time. You ran up to him, clenching onto his arm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, defense up.

“Three people were asking for you so I let them in and they are on your couch right now. They were kind of intimidating. They were all so built and muscular, kind of like you. I don’t know what they want though. The one with the green, curly hair talked the most and they asked for a ‘Kacchan’ at first but I didn’t know who that was and then-” you started rambling on because of how nervous you were. But the moment he heard about a green haired boy and ‘Kacchan’, his stomach dropped.

“Okay, okay. Babe, calm down. Let me handle this,” Bakugou grabbed onto your shoulders in a comforting matter and headed out to the living room. You were curious about who these people were so of course, you also joined him.

The three strangers helped themselves to a cup of tea and talked among themselves before Bakugou came out to greet them. The moment the former blonde hero comes into view, all three of them shot up.

“Kacchan,” Deku was the first to speak but Kirishima was the first to come up to him and give him a manly hug.

“We missed you, bro,” Kirishima almost sobbed. Bakugou hugged him back, the feeling of nostalgia coming back to him.

“Missed you, too,” Bakugou confessed. He gave Uraraka a smile and nod, her returning the favor. Bakugou went up to his old friend who was already in tears and patted him on the shoulder.

“Kacchan!” Deku lifted his arm and cried in his sleeve, masking his crying face. Bakugou’s gaze softened. Letting his guard down for this one time, he pulled Izuku in for a hug. A shock to all, but Izuku wasn’t going to pass this opportunity up and hugged him back.

“Aren’t you a little too old to be crying like a baby,” Bakugou teased. While Bakugou was have a small reunion with his old friends, you watched the whole event unfold. It was like you were seeing a different side to Bakugou. And you thought you knew him pretty well.

Bakugou’s three friends sat on the couch while you and Bakugou pulled up two chairs and sat right across from them. It was silent, neither side knowing where or how to start. You got a good look at all of them. They had scars all over, the men especially. When you looked over at the girl, you couldn’t help but feel insecure. She was gorgeous. Perfect body, cute face. She was looking at Bakugou. When you side glanced at your boyfriend, he was looking down, avoiding everyone’s stares. You looked back at her and couldn’t help but think, did they use to have a thing? While you were deep in your insecure thoughts, Uraraka cleared her throat to fill the awkward silence. If no one was going to speak, she will.

“I’m Uraraka. This is Deku, and that one over there is Kirishima. We’re Bakugou’s old classmates,” she explained. You nodded your head. This was the first time you were hearing about Bakugou’s past. Every time you brought it up, he would avoid it or change topics. So this conversation was intriguing you. “And what’s your name?”

“Ah, I’m (y/n),” you introduced yourself.

“My girlfriend,” Bakugou added, confidently. You looked at him embarrassed, but he wasn’t afraid to show you off.

“Who could have thought grumpy Bakugou here could get a girl? How’d you do it, bro? Show off your cool explosions? Save her from those horrible villains?” Kirishima’s blabber mouth went on and on. But you had no idea what he was talking about. Grumpy? Your Bakugou wasn’t grumpy or angry. Explosions? Beating villains? How could your Bakugou do that? He was quirkless, just like you. You looked at Bakugou to help give you answers but he was avoiding your stare and trying to get Kirishima to shut up.

“There’s no way he’d flirt with his explosions. That’d scare her away. He probably showed her tricks with his quirk,” Uraraka chimed in. Bakugou by now was sweating. Everything was going downhill.

“You have a quirk?” you asked in disbelief at Bakugou. Shit, shit shit. Bakugou wanted to explain but nothing was coming out of his mouth.

“You didn’t know?” Uraraka asked innocently. “You’d have to know that he was a hero… right?” wrong. Dead silence. Your mouth was slightly ajar and Bakugou hung his head low. He had a headache now. The trio sensed that something was wrong but Kirishima had to go on a say more.

“Wait till she finds out that the top 4 heroes are sitting right in front of her,” Kirishima whispered not so quietly.

“The… _top 4_ heroes?” you emphasized, not believing that you were hearing correctly.

“Well, cat’s out of the bag. I’m the number 4 hero: Red Riot. Uraraka is number 3: Uravity. Izuku is the number 1 hero: Deku. And our man here is the number 2 hero: Ground Zero.” You felt like your ears were deceiving you. That, or you swear you were dreaming. You weren’t even mad, just in complete shock. You slowly faced your boyfriend, who you thought you knew so well. Now he was like a stranger because what did you know about him? What was the truth?

“You’re Ground Zero?”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: suggestive scene ahead! Not really 18+ but feel free to skim if you feel uncomfortable. But I added it in because I thought it really ties the whole story together!

Your mouth fell open as you watched Bakugou defeat these big and strong villains from that tiny phone screen of Izuku’s. Explosions were coming out of his hands consistently like it was magic. He was all beaten up, his hero costume basically in shreds, but he was still fighting strong like those wounds didn’t affect him. A wild expression stayed on Bakugou’s face as he continued his vicious attacks like this was for all fun and games. How could it be fun for him? It looked exhausting and dangerous. Well, you guess that’s where he got his body from. Seeing this was of Bakugou was… bizarre to say the least. You didn’t want to believe that _this_ was the Bakugou you fell for.

No, the Bakugou you know doesn’t act like this at all. He was so gentle and sweet and caring and calm. Not aggressive and scary. If they told you that the person you were seeing on the screen was his twin, you’d believe it because he changed personalities just like that.

That video wasn’t the only thing that shocked you. You’ve come to find out much about Bakugou’s past when he was in high school. His grades and performance were top notch. He accomplished being first place in competitions and sports festivals. Made it into the top 3 in school. It was all fine and dandy, but then you heard about his personality. High school Bakugou was mean, compulsive, threw insults at everybody, didn’t care what other people thought about him. To put it nicely, Bakugou was a bully. At that didn’t sit right with you.

“Bakugou, I can’t believe you used to be like this. You were so mean but now you’ve mellowed out,” Uraraka commented.

“Yeah, remember when you used to beat me up every single day for the past 6 years because you thought you were better than me?” Izuku laughed a little too hard. Uraraka and Kirishima just looked at the pro hero with disbelief in their eyes.

“Uh, Deku? I don’t think you should be laughing at that.” Kirishima pointed out.

All four of them were laughing and joking around, talking about their good old days. But Bakugou was awkwardly laughing with him. He wasn’t proud of his younger days or how he acted and was embarrassed that they were bringing it back up again. He glanced beside you and you had a frown on your face, looking a little uncomfortable. Bakugou cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He placed a hand on top of yours, trying to give you comfort but you lightly pushed his hand away.

Oh shit, you were mad. Bakugou didn’t know what was wrong, but he knew not to push you any further.

“Oh, the good old days,” Deku wiped away a fake tear but then his expression turned serious, making the mood in the room change drastically. “But I think we should discuss why we came to find you.”

“We were worried about you,” Uraraka chimed in.

“You just disappeared without a trace. You didn’t say anything, didn’t leave a note. We thought something might have happened to you,” Kirishima looked down, his hands clenched in fists. “And we were too blind to see that there was something wrong. We couldn’t be there for you.”

Bakugou leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t think this far ahead when he left town. Sure, it was his fault for leaving the hero society and not telling anybody but people really need to know? It was his life. He could do whatever he wanted. If he didn’t want to be a hero anymore, then that was his choice. He wasn’t happy so he left so that he could be happy. Yeah, people are going to be upset and there might be a rising case of crimes, but the number one hero wouldn’t let that happen. The number one hero was still in business. Deku is the new symbol of peace. Bakugou? Well… he was only the number 2 hero. No one cares about the number 2 or number 3 heroes. It’s all about being number one. So why should he care if others are sad? Should he just give up his happiness with you just so he could please the rest of the world?

“Bakugou, come back to being a hero. The world needs you. _We_ need you,” Deku pleaded.

“C’mon, we were the dynamic duo. Think about it: fighting side-by-side again. Kickin’ ass every day, putting those villains away. Think about how much fun that was with us two and Denki every once in a while,” Kirishima swung one arm around Bakugou’s shoulders. Ah, now that brought back memories to him. Bakugou couldn’t hide the smile that was forming on his face.

“Yeah, that was pretty fun, huh?” Bakugou admitted.

“Think back to why you became a hero in the first place! You wanted to be the number one hero, sure. But what else? How could you stop when you’re almost there?” Kirishima kept edging him on and honestly, it was working. The thrill of being a hero and always having something to do made time go by so fast. Even if it was annoying, all those people cheering his name, all those villains hiding at the sight of him made being a hero worth it. Right now, Bakugou’s blood was pumping in his veins longing to be back in the city with his pals by his side, kicking ass.

As soon as the idea of returning got to his head, Bakugou turned to look at you. In was in that moment he knew, that’s not what he wanted. You were looking back at him with confusion in your eyes. You still hadn’t processed that he, your boyfriend, was the number 2 hero. You hadn’t processed that he even had a quirk. There’s no telling how many emotions you were feeling at the moment. Confusion, conflicted, hurt, betrayed, proud, excited, neutral all at once. And Bakugou could see that. This wasn’t the conversation to be having now.

“All of that sounds great. It really does. But I think I need a few days to think about it,” Bakugou said. The other three heroes looked positive. It wasn’t the response that they were hoping for. Really, they wanted him to come back right away. But it was a step in the right direction for them and they were going to take it.

Bakugou led his three friends out and when he closed the door, he knew he was in for an ear full. He turned around to face you but you were already standing in front of him, arms crossed tight across your chest. You did not look happy. Not one bit.

“(y/n)-”

“You lied to me,” you cut him off.

“Baby,” Bakugou called out to you, reaching his hand out but you backed up, pushing him away.

“Don’t ‘baby’ me. Explain,” you demanded.

“I don’t know where to start,”

“How about that you lied to me the moment you met me? The number 2 hero? Really? When you met me, you said you didn’t have a quirk. And now it comes out that you’re the number 2 hero in the world? Let’s not forget that you were playing this town’s hero this whole time. Way to make me feel stupid. I was over here, talking about how great a hero he was and who this mystery guys was, and it was you all along! Were you mocking me or something?”

“It’s not like that,” he interjected, but you continued on with your angry rant.

“It would have been really nice to know. Fun fucking fact, your boyfriend is the number 2 hero, sorry it took 5 months to tell you,” you angrily imitated his voice but it was no laughing matter. “So what was the reason? Why did you lie to me? Why did you stop being a hero and move here, out of all the places to go to?” you questioned him. He looked pitiful standing there, like a puppy that was being scolded at.

“I didn’t mean for the lie to get this big. It just happened and I’m sorry, okay? Being the number 2 hero has its perks. I had all the fame, the money, the attention, the admirers, everything. But it was fucking boring. I got to beat up villains and got satisfaction pulling them behind bars. There was something to do every minute of every day, but I was never satisfied. I always felt like I was missing something and no matter what I did, I could never shake that feeling off. So I left to fill that void, whatever the hell it was. And then I met you. And this town. I feel like I can finally have peace and be myself where no one can judge me,” Bakugou finally opened up to you.

“But then why couldn’t you have told me about your secret hero life?” you whined, still not understanding where he was coming from.

“How was I supposed to tell you? When I met you, I didn’t think I’d meet you time and time again. I only told that lie to fit in. Had I known you’d be so important to me, I’d probably rethink that. And you’ve never met anything with a quirk before. So I didn’t know how you were going to react,” Bakugou got closer to you and this time, you allowed it. When he saw that you weren’t pushing him away, he took this time to hold your hands in his and bring them to his lips, placing soft kisses to your knuckles.

“But now I just don’t understand,” you pulled away suddenly, catching Bakugou off guard. He thought you had calmed down but your mind was still going to work. “Is your whole personality a lie too? Are you putting up a mask for me? Because from the videos and stories you’re friends told, you didn’t sound like a very nice guy.” You pointed out. Bakugou sighed, ashamed.

“Yeah, I wasn’t,” he admitted.

“Katsuki…” you said his name, almost disappointed. And Bakugou hated that. That was the reaction he didn’t want. Because now you were disappointed in who he was.

“I’m not proud of it. My high school career, I was fucked up. I don’t know why I acted that way. I just… did. It made me feel powerful, like I was untouchable. But I hear what people say about it. It doesn’t feel good. At one point, I numbed it all out. I didn’t care what people said about me. But then it got exhausting because I’m not always like that. But that was my persona and wherever I went, people expected me to act like that. And I did. But right now, this is who I really am. I don’t have to hide or put on a mask. That old me was in the past. Don’t think I’m pretending to be some regular guy just so you could be with me.” Bakugou cupped your cheek so that you could look up at him. His eyes were full of sincerity and you knew he meant every word. There was a moment of silence between you two, just looking into each other’s eyes. It felt nice being in his arms and sharing this intimate moment together. But now it was time to ask the most important question. Just thinking about it made your heart break because you had no idea what his answer was going to be. But you had a feeling it wasn’t going to be an answer you wanted to hear.

“So, are you leaving? To go back to being a hero?” you voice was barely above a whisper.

“I would never leave you,” Bakugou responded without a seconds hesitation. You looked back up at him with a frown, thinking back to what he said to his friends.

“But you just said-”

“I said that so they could leave,” he said. “You don’t think I know when you’re uncomfortable? It was a lot of stuff to process. Probably too much stuff. And I saw how you were acting. If they didn’t leave, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He was right. It was sweet of him to be so observant and this is the Bakugou you fell for. But all of sudden, you started feeling second thoughts about this relationship. Speaking of being observant, Bakugou saw the change in your face. This was the most important conversation you two have ever shared together. His secrets were all out and he felt relieved, like a whole building was lifted off of his shoulders. So why weren’t you feeling the same?  
“What’s wrong? You’re still upset,” Bakugou asked. You let go of him and gently pushed him away.

“I don’t know. I need some time to think,” you say, grabbing your jacket and made your way to the door.

“Wait, (y/n),” the heartbroken hero grabbed your arm as you passed him. “What’s wrong? I told you everything about me. What else do you want to know?” Bakugou sounded desperate now. He honestly didn’t know why you were acting this way. He told you about his past, about why he did what he did. So why were you still so upset?

“That’s not the point, Katsuki,” you say and turned to him, looking disappointed. “You lied to me. I mean, yeah, you opened up to me. Thank you for that, but this whole relationship was built on a lie. It would have been nice to know your history before we started dating or you should have said something in the beginning of our relationship. I just feel lied to and I’m not very happy about that. I just need to go home and think, okay?”

“Is that what you want?” Bakugou asked, making sure this is absolutely what you want to do. It hurt him to know you were still feeling that, but if that’s what you want to do, then he’ll let you. You nod your head and as soon as you did that, he let go of you. You looked at him for the last time that night and took a deep exhale out, making your departure from Bakugou’s apartment. The moment the door closed and you were out of sight, Bakugou gripped his hair and slowly rubbed his hands down his face. He was feeling so many pent up frustration and feelings that he wanted to explode to release all that, but instead he let out a single word.

“Fuck!”

The moment you returned home, you broke down crying. Why? You were just feeling a lot and you didn’t know what to do with that so you cried. And oh, did that make you feel better. You laid in your bed, looking up at the ceiling as you tried to process your new truth.

Your boyfriend, Bakugou Katsuki, is a hero. The number 2 hero, no doubt. He has a massively strong quirk that you’re not sure how it works yet. In high school, he used to be mean and aggressive, aka a bully. Not a good picture in your book. He quit being a hero because he didn’t find it fun anymore so he left to become normal. At least he had a quirk. But then he moved here, lied to you saying that he was quirkless. Was secretly a hero at night, protecting this city. But still lied to you when you talked about the mysterious man. He even saved you a few times and still didn’t tell you? There were so many red flags already. How many more did he not tell you about or is still hiding from you?

You were feeling so conflicted. Yeah, you didn’t like how he lied to you, but you still had feelings for him. You’d even go to say that you were in love with him. But you knew you shouldn’t ignore the red flags you were given. You’ve scolded your friends even though times over this same exact, well maybe not exact, scenario and you’d be a fool to not follow your own advice. Now that you were in this situation, you could understand what your girlfriends were going through. It really was a hard decision to make.

A whole day passed without any contact from Bakugou and it was pretty miserable for you. It gave you plenty of time to think about what’s happened and your relationship and where you want to take it next.

All of a sudden, someone was knocking on your front door. You had an idea of who it could be, but how likely would that be given the fact you said you wanted to be alone. But who was at the door other than Bakugou Katsuki. Before you could even address him he was already apologizing.

“I’m sorry,” he said before you could barely recognize it’s him. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry for not telling you and keeping you in the dark. I’m sorry for putting you in that uncomfortable situation yesterday. I’m sorry for not realizing that what I was doing was wrong and hurting you. Fuck, I’m sorry for it all. And… I missed you.” He breathed, glancing up at you. His heart beat at the sight of your face, like he was falling for you all over again. You teared up and gradually stepped closer to him until your forehead rested against his chest.

“I missed you,” you say to him, meaning every single word. You heard him smile as he rested his head on top of yours and pulled you closer to him.

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you say, lightly joking but series at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes again but you stop him.

“But I forgive you,” you reassured him but he didn’t look as relieved as you thought he was going to be.

“Why?”

“Because I’m in love with you and that’s what people do when they’re in love,” you try to say in very nonchalantly but in reality, your heart was trying to beat its way out of your chest. Ever so slightly, Bakugou lifted your chin with his finger so your eyes could connect. Bakugou’s eyes were wide with surprise.

“Do you mean that?” he asked. You nodded your heart. What happened next took you by complete surprise. Bakugou pushed your body backwards, away from the doorway that you two were still at, until your back hit the wall and you were trapped in between his arms.

“I’m gonna ask you again, do you mean that?” he asked more seriously this time.

“I love you, Bakugou Katsuki,” you said with so much confidence, it was scary.

It wasn’t long until his rough lips met yours, kissing you with so much passion and force that it took your breath away. Yet that didn’t stop you from kissing him back with just as much force. He was leaning into you so that your back was touching the wall but also bringing your body as close to him as possible at the same time. His large hands traveled from your waist down to your thighs, squeezing under to hike your legs around his waist. You held on tight, letting him lead you to wherever he wanted.

You felt the familiar bed sheets pressed against your back, your lips never disconnecting from his, not even once. It was as soon as you landed on the bed did Bakugou let go momentarily for both of you to get some air.

“I love you,” Bakugou breathed heavily. Relief washed over you and this time, you pulled him in to give him a powerful kiss.

“Say it again,” you whispered against his lips.

“I love you,” he said. You kissed him again.

“Again,” you kept asking. The more you ask, the more you received. His hands teased the hem of your shirt before lifting it, snaking its way up your body. Even though you were enjoying the moment, you quickly stopped his hands from going any further.

“I’m a virgin,” you confessed, breathless from the make out. It was the most embarrassing moment to admit that, but he had to know before it went any farther. His lips traveled from your lips, to your neck, and then ghosted over your ear.

“Don’t worry, me too,” he confessed back. “Relax babe, I’m gonna make you feel so good, you’ll be screaming for more.” You gulped. You were in for quite a night.

But it wasn’t as frightening as you thought it would be. In fact, Bakugou couldn’t have been more right in his words. That night was so special for both of you, you’d never forget it. It was a night full of passion, desire, longing, love. And you were definitely _screaming_ for more. Your first time in your apartment was so good that you had to take it back to Bakugou’s for round two.

You woke up from the morning rays hitting your face ever so lightly. You looked next to you and Bakugou was still fast asleep. This was a good time to surprise him with breakfast. As quietly as you could, you got out of bed to fix up something to eat for the both of you.

Guess you weren’t as quiet as you thought you were because in the middle of your cooking, Bakugou wraps his arms around you from behind and snuggles his head in the crook of your neck.

“Morning,” he said lazily, breathing in your morning scent.

“Good morning, my big baby,” you ruffled his hair for a second before turning your attention back on stove. You both stayed like that until you finished preparing the food. When you put the food on the plate is when Bakugou finally leaned back on the counter.

“Eat up,” you set his plate next to him and you started dig in your food. It took a few bites to notice that Bakugou wasn’t eating.

“Babe, the food is going to get cold,” you informed him and take another bite of your food. But he still didn’t touch his food. You finally looked at him but all he was doing was staring at you.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you began to shy away. Bakugou laughed at your reaction.

“You’re gorgeous in the morning, you know that?” he complimented but it only made you shy away more.

“Stop! I haven’t gotten ready yet, I look a mess!” you shielded your face with your arms acting as a wall. Bakugou grabbed your arms and pulled you close to him so that he could properly get a look at you.

“You know what I think? I think you look perfect,” he looked at you with the most love in his eyes. You pouted.

“Yeah? Well you know what I think? I think you’re handsome,” you say hastily.

“Yeah?” he smirked, liking the compliment come out your mouth.

“And big,” your eyes looked down at his muscles. You bet that Bakugou saw that.

“Yeah?” he chuckled seeing your get lost in your imagination.

“And strong,” you were touching his arms now and outlined the shape of them. But now you were going to tease him a little bit. You brought your face close to his, acting like you were going in for a kiss. But as soon as he leaned in, you dodged his kiss and aimed for his ear.

“And a monster in bed,” you whispered. That’s what brought Bakugou over the edge.

“Oh, I liked that one,” he said. Then he’s picking you up, spinning you around so now you were sitting on the kitchen top. You two burst into a fit of giggles and kisses. Your breakfast totally forgotten by now. A knock at the door brought you out of your bubble.

“I got it,” you escaped Bakugou’s hold and opened the door. You were surprised to see the three heroes from before.

“Oh,” a shocked sound escaped your mouth accidentally. You didn’t have to call your boyfriend over. He was already close behind you the moment you left him.

“Good Morning, (y/n). Kacchan,” Deku was the first to greet you guys. You smiled at them, as so did Bakugou. “Sorry to bother you so early in the morning but could we have a word with Bakugou?” you looked at your boyfriend with a worried expression. He softly smiled at you, telling you that you had nothing to worry about. With one last look, you left him and his friends alone to talk.

Izuku saw the look Bakugou gave you. He looked back and forth between you two and guilt started building back in him. Bakugou turned back to the trio, holding the door with one hand and the other rested on the door frame.

“I have a feeling I already know what this is about,” Bakugou started but Deku just shook his head.

“No. You deserve to be happy,” Deku said, catching the other two off guard.

“Izuku,” Uraraka called out.

“Oi, this isn’t what we talked about,” Kirishima tried to bring Izuku back to his senses but he was holding his ground. Him and Bakugou held each other stares, as if they were talking through their eyes. Then, he turns around to see you happily eating your cold breakfast. That goofy look on your face was what made him smile.

“Yeah, she makes me really happy.” Bakugou stated with determination. That was all Deku needed to hear.

“Well,” Deku clapped his hands together. “Looks like its time for us to take our leave.” Deku extended his hand out. With a firm shake, Bakugou took his hand.

“Thank you,” Bakugou gave him a nod, expressing his gratitude. The door was closed and so was their adventure. Over the two bickering heroes beside him, he could clearly hear you and Bakugou laughing away, making him smile to himself.

“See ya later hero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support with this series! This is probably my favorite series by far and I hope you enjoyed just as much! Feel free to leave your comments because I always love seeing your comments.  
> But I need help picking what I should do next. If you'd also like to pick which one sounds most interesting, that'd help me alot!  
> 1\. Haikyuu - Miya Osamu. 2 parts?? Hidden relationship from Atsumu
> 
> 2\. Haikyuu - Iwaizumi oneshot SUPER ANGST LIKE i CRIED THINKING ABOUT IT. It’s a long distance relationship and when you go to see him for his birthday, he breaks up with you because he thinks you are cheating on him with Oikawa
> 
> 3\. BNHA - Bakugou series. Angst. might be super long? Complex story but I’ll try my best to describe it. King Bakugou. Servant (y/n). You are forced to change places with the princess so you are engaged to Bakugou. 
> 
> 4\. BNHA - series with different main characters of the 5 love languages. Mix of angst, fluffy, romantic
> 
> 5\. Pick any character from Haikyuu or BNHA. Oneshot inspiration of Heather by Conan Gray. Angst and Horror.


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